‘No provision for resignation of reps from DVC board’

Kolkata: There was no provision for the resignation of representatives of partner state govts from the DVC board, a senior official said on Tuesday.
“According to the DVC Act, 1948, West Bengal and Jharkhand are participating states and one representative from each state is on the board, besides representatives of Centre. There is no provision for resignation from the board,” the DVC official said.
Another DVC official said Bengal govt could always nominate a different representative to replace the power secretary, in a departure from tradition, after the flood situation normalised.
Traditionally, the incumbent power secretary has been the representative of the state on the DVC board. Centre and the two state govts are equal partners in the first multipurpose river valley project in independent India.
Section 30 of the DVC Act provides for contribution of capital by three participating govts, Centre, Bengal and Jharkhand. It is a statutory liability. They are owners of DVC by virtue of the statue. Statutorily, they cannot disown DVC, a source said.
State irrigation minister Manas Bhunia declined to comment on DVC stating that there was no provision for resignation from the board. pti