Ranchi, Sept. 28: The Jharkhand and Bengal governments have agreed to set up a joint committee to monitor the release of Subernarekha and Kharkai waters and minimise flood threats. The Bengal government is also ready to pay its share of funds, around Rs 19.5 crore, for the interstate Subernarekha Multipurpose Project (SMP). With the water levels of both rivers rising steadily, there are looming fears of flood in Bengal’s Midnapore district. During a meeting in Calcutta last Friday, Bengal chief secretary Samar Ghosh complained that Jharkhand often released water without warnings, which in turn wreaked havoc in Bengal. The meeting presided over by Ghosh was also attended by state water resources secretary S.K. Satpathy and SMP chief engineer Braj Mohan Kumar, among the official brass of the neighbouring states. Jharkhand’s representatives, on the other hand, argued that they were compelled to open the sluice gates of the dams once the water levels rose above the danger marks. “Finally the two states agreed in principle to set up a joint committee to monitor the release of river waters. Jharkhand never releases water with the intent to cause losses to Bengal. Once the proposed panel becomes functional, misunderstandings between the two states will be sorted out automatically,” Kumar said. Deputy chief minister Sudesh Mahto, who heads the water resources department, said he was not averse to setting up of the committee. However, he added that no proposal had been forwarded to him.