Jalpaiguri, Jan. 1: The irrigation department is reviving the Karala Action Plan that was drawn up by North Bengal University in 2000 with revised estimates to improve the flow and control the pollution of the river. From yesterday, the irrigation department has been releasing water from an aqueduct of the Teesta Barrage Project into the Karala in a bid to reduce the pollution load. However, the discharge from the barrage could not help raise the water level in the Karala by even a foot. The pollution of the Karala came to the limelight on November 28 when thousands of fish had floated up dead on the river in Jalpaiguri. Lab tests showed that the fish deaths had been caused by the presence of banned pesticide endosulfan in the water. North Bengal development minister Deb said the irrigation department was working on revising the action plan. “Despite being a holiday today, the irrigation department engineers are finalising the action plan. I have been told that an estimate of Rs 17 crore will be sent to the irrigation department headquarters in Calcutta. We will sources the money from the Union government’s Backward Regional Grant Fund,” said the minister. The action plan aims at improving the flow of the Karala, control the constructions along the banks as well as the river’s beautification. Although the NBU had submitted the project to rid the Karala of pollutants to the North Bengal Development Council in 2000, no action has been taken. Subir Sarkar, a professor of geography at the NBU, said the action plan covered 14km of the river’s stretch from Netajipara in Jalpaiguri till its confluence with the Teesta at Mohana. “We had pointed out many aspects in the plan. The flow of the river can be improved only though desiltation. Another important factor is the use of the river as an open toilet. We had also said if a 3km-long canal can be dug before the Karala’s confluence with the Teesta, the former could be connected to the Kharkharia river. The canal would have prevented the water from the Teesta flowing into the Karala at Mohana during the monsoon,” said Sarkar. The NBU had estimated a cost of Rs 6 crore 11 years ago, he said. Regarding the release of water into the Karala, the superintending engineer of the Teesta Barrage Project, Gautam Chatterjee, said as the height of the Karala was high at Manthani (where the release is taking place), the water was taking time to flow downstream. “The water is slowly flowing downstream and after yesterday’s release, the Karala’s level hasn’t gone up even by a foot. We are releasing the water tonight as well and we hope that the water level will increase by two to three feet by tomorrow morning,” Chatterjee said.