01/09/2026
*Office of Raju Bisa*
*Press Release*
*1st of Sept, 2026*
Today, I had the pleasure of attending the official announcement and launch of Arjun Vahini, West Bengal’s new state-level disaster response force, by Hon'ble Chief Minister Sh. Suvendu Adhikari Ji.
Arjun Vahini is an important step towards building a faster, more specialized and locally available disaster response system for West Bengal.
On behalf of the people of the Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars, I thank Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari Ji for initiating this important step. For the Himalayan region, this is particularly significant. Our hills face recurring risks from landslides, cloudbursts, flash floods and other natural hazards.
The deployment of 50 specially trained personnel for the Darjeeling and Kalimpong Hills, backed by modern rescue vehicles and specialised equipment and trained to NDRF standards, will be a major boost to disaster preparedness in our region.
Arjun Vahini begins with an initial strength of 200 personnel. The Deployment is planned as:
- 50 in the Darjeeling and Kalimpong Hills,
- 50 in the coastal belt, and
- 100 in Kolkata, thus covering the three major risk zones - the hills, coastal regions, and urban conglomerate.
I also extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Hon’ble Chief Minister for accepting my request to constitute a committee of experts, to undertake a scientific and systematic assessment of the vulnerabilities of the Himalayan region of West Bengal.
The committee will examine critical risks including glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), cloudbursts, landslide susceptibility, river-system behaviour, and urban drainage failures in our hill towns. It will recommend scientifically grounded measures for disaster preparedness, mitigation and management, while also addressing the wider environmental challenges confronting our fragile Himalayan ecosystem.
Under the leadership of CM Suvendu Adhikari Ji, our government in the state is taking concrete steps towards making our region and state better prepared for disaster mitigation and management.
*Raju Bista*
*Member of Parliament, Darjeeling and*
*National Spokesperson, BJP*
