Patna, Water level of the Gandak River in Bihar has started receding rapidly, even as the state government on Sunday suspended seven engineers and initiated departmental proceedings against another official for alleged negligence in handling the recent floods, an official statement said.
“Seven engineers, including two executive engineers, have been suspended with immediate effect. At Rewaghat in Saran, the water level of Gandak has fallen 177 cm from its record high and is now 50 cm below the danger mark, the statement issued by the Water Resources Department on Sunday evening said. Nearly 9.87 lakh people in 169 gram panchayats across 30 blocks in six Bihar districts have been affected by floods following heavy rainfall in Nepal and adjoining areas in the last week of September, officials said. As part of relief measures, authorities have distributed 1,17,847 polythene sheets and 1,19,131 dry ration packets among affected people, they said.
There is currently no pressure on the embankments and seepage and piping problems have been resolved, the department said, adding that materials have been stocked at breach sites to protect vulnerable stretches. The department said inspections found laxity and delays in the emergency response by some engineers, including inadequate mobilisation of manpower and materials and poor coordination with locals and elected representatives. Departmental proceedings have also been ordered against Muzaffarpur chief engineer Kumar Manoj Gupta over alleged negligence following damage to the Champaran embankment,” the statement said. The department said any laxity or negligence during a disaster-related emergency would invite strict action.
