PATNA: In a first, the state disaster management department has decided to distribute packets containing Bihar's famous traditional food- 'Liti-Chokha' among the people and families stranded in their house due to incessant raining for last three days.
The state disaster department has also chanellised its entire working forces to pump out rain water that has submerged all low laying areas of Patna.
Official sources said the Rajendra Nagar, Kankarbagh, Boring road, Nala road, Gandhi maidan and over 50 low-lying areas of state capital have submerged due to rain.
Taking serious note of the flood-like situation in Patna, chief minister Nitish Kumar conducted an emergency meeting with all officials including chief secretary Dipak Kumar, DGP Gupteshwar Pandey, principal secretary of disaster management Prataya Amrit at the newly built Sardar Patel Bhawan.
Speaking to Express, principal secretary of disaster management Prataya Amrit said: "It is still raining here and almost all low lying areas have submerged in rainwater. A good number of water pumping machines have been pressed into services besides 100 trained personnel of both NDRF and SDRF in Patna".
He admitted the situation is grime with water level constantly rising in river Ganga due to heavy rainfalls. "At places in Vaishali-Jandaha and Mahnar, over 200ml rainfalls have been registered and two teams of SDRF and NDRF being rushed there," he said.
In a move to provide drinking water in flooded areas, the state government has involved a good number of water tankers to supply safe drinking water. "Besides this, as thousands of poor people are confined to their homes in which rainwater has entered, the department will distribute packets of Bihar's famous traditional cuisine- 'liti chokha' from Sunday," said Prataya Amrit.