Amidst tense situation on Indo-Nepal border, Bihar CM asks officials to hold talks with their Nepalese counterparts

PATNA: Amidst tense situation on the Indo-Nepal border after killing of an Indian citizen in a firing allegedly by Nepalese Armed Police force on Friday; Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Saturday asked his officials to hold talks with their counterparts in Nepal and take all necessary steps to remove hurdles in execution of anti-erosion and flood management projects in Nepal side of Gandak, Lalbakeya and Kamla rivers. The three rivers flow down to Bihar from Nepal.
Holding a high-level meeting with ministers and state’s top officials to review the ongoing preparations for flood management across the state, CM further asked the district magistrates (DMs) of East Champaran, West Champaran and Madhubani to hold talks with their counterparts in Nepal and maintain proper coordination with the Nepalese authorities to resolve the issues related to flood management projects before arrival of floods this year.
The DMs and SPs of all districts were connected through video-conferencing with the CM during the review meeting which continued for more than five hours.
“CM specifically asked the DMs of East Champaran, West Champaran and Madhubani to hold talks with their counterparts in Nepal and resolve the issues related to the obstacles being created by certain elements in Nepal,” a minister who attended the review meeting, revealed to TOI on Saturday.
The minister, who didn’t want to be identified, also said that the three DMs assured the CM that they would take up the matter with their Nepalese counterparts on an urgent basis.
Bihar government every year undertakes some anti-erosion works and flood management projects in Nepal side of Gandak, Lalbakeya and Kamala rivers to save its villages from the erratic floods in the rainy season. But this year, certain elements in the Nepal side are creating hurdles in movement of manpower and materials up to the projects site, leading to delay in completion of the projects.
“CM asked the officials to maintain proper coordination with the Nepalese authorities and ensure timely completion of the flood management projects,” the minister told TOI.
“During the review meeting, the DMs of all 38 districts expressed their satisfaction on the ongoing flood management projects in their districts in the state,” said a senior official of the water resources department.
CM further asked the disaster management department (DMD) to establish more number of relief camps this year so that flood-affected people arriving to stay at the camps could maintain the norms of social distancing in the wake of covid-19 pandemic.
Referring to last year’s unprecedented water-logging in certain parts of the state capital, CM asked the urban development and housing department officials to make some special arrangements this year in the Patna Municipal region. He asked the officials to take all necessary steps in accordance to special needs of a particular area to check recurrence of water-logging in the capital region.