PATNA: A central team is likely to visit to Bihar on September 16 to assess the flood situation and damage caused by floods in the state.
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said that a central team led by union minister Shiv Raj Singh Chauhan will visit arrive in the state to assess the flood situation and damage caused by floods.
Though Chief Minister he did not specify the date when the team will arrive, sources said that the team is expected to reach Patna on September 16. Earlier, union home minister Amit Shah contacted Choudhary over phone and inquired about the flood situation.
Around 49.67 lakh people have been affected across 15 districts of the state. The flood situation in a few districts is still grim. Water level has started receding in most of the rivers, including Ganga, but the rivers were still flowing above the danger mark.
Chief Minister said that the officials were busy in providing relief materials among flood victims. Arrangements have also been made for proper medical facilities at relief camps. Ministers in-charge of the districts have visited the flood hit districts to assess the situation.
On the other hand, leader of Opposition in state assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav has demanded a special package to the state to deal with the flood situation and ensure proper distribution of relief materials among flood victims.
Tejashwi also accused the Centre of discrimination against Bihar. “The Centre should provide a special package for flood victims. The Central government is discriminating against Bihar. The state’s treasury is empty,” he said, adding that the flood victims were not getting facilities.
During visit to flood hit areas, RJD leader said that the victims complained about lack of basic facilities. “Even party workers received similar complaints during their visit to flood affected areas, poohpoohing the tall claims of the officials of the state government about relief materials being provided to the victims.
The situation could be gauged from the fact that flood victims gheraoed a ruling party minister and an MLA during their visit to flood hit areas in Katihar district on Saturday.
Pramod Kumar Chandrawanshi, mines and geology department minister, along with JD(U) MLA Bijay Singh visited the flood affected areas to take stock of the flood situation and relief being provided to victims at relief camps under Barari assembly constituency on Saturday.
The flood victims gheraoed the minister and the MLA near Mohna Chandpur village, alleging lack of facilities at the government run relief camps. Slogans like “MP-MLA Go Back’ rent the air. The protestors also accused the local MLA of discrimination in distribution of relief materials among flood victims.
Chandrawanshi, a BJP MLC, is the minister in-charge of Katihar district to oversee government schemes. District Magistrate along with other officials tried to pacify the protestors but in vain. As a result, both the minister and the legislator had to return to the district headquarters where they held a meeting with officials concerned.