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Centre firmly with people of Bihar: Shivraj after visiting flood-hit districts
Patna, Sep 16 (PTI) Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday said the Centre stood “firmly with the people of Bihar” as he undertook an extensive tour of flood-hit districts to assess the damage and relief operations.
Chouhan, who holds the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development portfolios, visited flood-affected areas in Vaishali, Munger and Bhagalpur along with Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary.
He also conducted aerial surveys of flood-hit Maner in Patna and Dighwara in Saran districts.
“Amid the devastation of floods in Bihar, I assessed the ground situation today and engaged with affected families. The state government is fully engaged in relief efforts with utmost readiness,” he said in a social media post.
“Teams of the central government are also evaluating the damage. In this hour of crisis, we stand firmly with the people of Bihar,” he added.
The Union minister, accompanied by the CM, inspected flood-affected Terasia and Saraipur villages in Vaishali by boat and tractor and interacted with residents.
Officials said Chouhan assessed crop damage and met farmers to hear their concerns.
According to the Disaster Management Department, around 49.74 lakh people in 15 districts have been affected by floods following heavy rainfall in Nepal and Bihar that caused rivers to swell, with several already flowing above danger levels.
“This is the worst flood so far. I have been informed that the water level this time is nearly one foot higher than what it was during the 2016 floods. I also witnessed the losses suffered by farmers,” Chouhan told reporters in Vaishali.
He said he had come to Bihar at the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take stock of the situation and assess the extent of damage.
“Another central team will also visit Bihar to assess the damage caused by the floods. The central government will extend all possible assistance to the state in dealing with the situation,” he said.
Chouhan said the state government was providing assistance to affected people and had recently released Rs 7,000 to each affected families.
“Handling of the situation by the Bihar government is quite satisfactory,” he said.
Chouhan then visited a flood relief camp at Nawabgarhi in Munger and interacted with people taking shelter there.
In Bhagalpur, he inspected the Kojikaraiya embankment and visited a relief camp at Bhagalpur Polytechnic College.
Later, Chouhan and Choudhary chaired a high-level meeting in Patna to review flood relief operations.
Deputy Chief Ministers Vijay Kumar Choudhary and Bijendra Yadav, along with senior officials of various departments, attended the meeting.
“There was a risk of embankment breaches at 15 locations in Bihar. The extent of the damage has not yet been assessed, as many areas are still inundated,” Chouhan said after the meeting.
“Bihar is grappling with the twin challenges of floods and drought. The Bihar government and the Centre are working together to find a permanent solution to the state’s flood problem,” he said.
The visit drew criticism from the opposition, with RJD MP Manoj Jha accusing the Centre of responding late to the flood situation.
“You took far too long to show up. Bihar’s plight is not on their minds. Now they are arriving today. I hear they are coming by a chartered plane. It would have been far better had the money been spent for flood victims,” Jha said.
Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav also criticised the Centre’s response and described Chouhan’s visit as a “photo shoot”, alleging that no special package had been announced for the state.
“The Centre should have announced at least a Rs 5,000-crore package for Bihar floods, but it did not happen. The Central team’s visit was merely a photo shoot,” he told reporters.
Yadav also demanded that the floods be declared a national disaster and claimed that the Rs 7,000 relief assistance to each affected family was provided after he wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PTI NAC PKD SOM
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.