West Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar on Tuesday demanded that the devastations caused by the recent incidents of landslide in North Bengal should be declared as a national disaster and both the Centre and the state should work in tandem to address the crisis. Sarkar, who on Tuesday morning led a delegation of party leaders to landslide-hit areas of North Bengal to assess the situation on the ground, also opined that the Centre should declare a special package for the landslide-ravaged areas of North Bengal. "Only then, proper rehabilitation and compensation packaged could be extended to the affected", he said. The state Congress president said an all-party meeting should be called by the West Bengal government in this regard. "The Centre must declare this devastation as a national disaster and announce a special package. It is high time for both TMC and the BJP to work in cohesion at this hour of crisis by forgetting their political differences. We all should come together to fight for the cause of the people," Sarkar said.
Accompanied by senior Congress leaders Partha Bhowmik and Ashutosh Chatterjee, the Bengal Congress president stopped at various locations en route to Mirik to evaluate the situation, party sources said. "He also spoke to the locals and assured them of all assistance during this period of crisis," a party official told reporters. Torrential rains triggered landslides and floods that left 30 people dead and several missing across north Bengal. Incidentally, the Bengal Congress on Monday constituted a dedicated committee to coordinate disaster response efforts in North Bengal and extend assistance to those affected, the official said. Sarkar is expected to submit a report to the higher party leadership after the visit.