Central team reviews flood situation in 3 districts of Bihar

A central team on Thursday visited three flood-affected districts of Bihar to assess the extent of damage caused by the calamity, days after the state sought Rs 3,328 crore as compensation from the Union government for the losses incurred, a senior official said.

The team, which had reached the state capital on Wednesday evening, split into three groups to review the situation in the worst-affected districts of Gopalganj, Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga, Pratyaya Amrit, the principal secretary of the Disaster Management Department, said.

Over 83 lakh people have been affected by the floods in 16 districts, including 20.82 lakh in Darbhanga, 19.69 lakh in Muzaffarpur, and 4.15 lakh in Gopalganj. Twenty-seven people have lost their lives due to the calamity.

"A central team headed by Union home ministry's joint secretary Piyush Goel carried out an aerial survey of the flood-affected districts in the morning. It also held a review meeting with the officials of Darbhanga," Amrit told PTI.

Goel, after conducting the aerial survey, interacted with the victims of Asaraha and Ranipur panchayats in Darbhanga to find out more about the difficulties faced by them due to the floods, official sources said.

Central Water Commission Director Sanjeev Kumar Suman, who visited the flood-hit areas of Gopalganj district, acknowledged that lakhs have been severely impacted by the deluge, but refused to quantify the damage.

The third group that surveyed Muzaffarpur district held a review meeting with the district magistrate. Officials in all three districts gave a detailed presentation about the damage caused by the floods, besides informing the central team about the relief and rescue operations underway.

The central team, which had held meeting with state government officials upon their arrival in the state, will sit again on Thursday morning for another round of discussion on issues related to the flood situation, ongoing relief work, and the funds that would be required to compensate the farmers for their losses, Amrit said.

"The state has already submitted a memorandum to the Centre three days ago seeking Rs 3,328 crore as compensation," the principal secretary added.

(Photo credit for representation: PTI)