PATNA: In a major embarrassment to the JD(U), Justice Rajesh Balia Commission report on Kosi floods of August 2008 has indicted the then Nitish Kumar Government for posting a person, who was found guilty of serious misconduct in 2005, as the Chief Engineer.
The report said that the engineers and other employees posted at Birpur or Eastern embankment of the Kosi had no prior experience in combating floods and were inefficient. It also states that the high-level committee on Kosi failed to monitor the anti-erosion work.
The 750-page report was tabled in the state Assembly on Friday, the last day of the session.
The Commission, which was supposed to give its report within six months, took five-and-a-half years and submitted the report in February this year.
Leader of Opposition Nand Kishore Yadav had raised the issue in the Assembly few days ago, which forced Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi to make an announcement on tabling the report in this session itself.
The Kosi Afflux Bund in Kusaha, Nepal had breached on August 18, 2008, which led to the devastation of several districts of Bihar. And several thousand people had perished in the tragedy, said to be the worst reported from the state in the last 50 years. The report said, “If people are to be saved from the wrath of Kosi or similar catastrophes, it is high time the WRD (Water Resource Department) made serious efforts to correct the system of river administration.”
Warnings Ignored
Though the field engineers had sent wireless messages regarding the increased pressure on the embankment, the authorities failed to act, the report said.
“The situation had further worsened due to increase of pressure on the spurs,” a wireless message said, but there was no response from the WRD headquarters in Patna. “Serious situation” was reported on August 16 saying “River furious. There is no chance of recovery”. But all these warnings were ignored.
The Walia Commission also said during the most crucial period of the operation to tackle the floods, the task force appeared to be leaderless. Highly inexperienced and inefficient engineers were posted at Birpur. Posting of such engineers was a major reason for faulty anti-erosion work and slack and inadequate flood-fighting efforts, the report pointed out.