CPI(ML) Bihar State Secretary Kunal stated on 14 August 2017 that floods have wreaked havoc on the lives of people in North Bihar, as in previous years. But the government, despite its tall claims, has failed in its disaster management and lakhs of people have been rendered homeless. Many people have died so far and large numbers of cattle have been lost but the government remains indifferent to the grave flood situation. He added that neither the Central government nor the State government wants to find a permanent solution to the flood problem. Nitish Kumar has always run away from the problem by holding the Farakka dam responsible. But now his government is in power at the Centre as well as in Patna and he cannot shirk the responsibility of finding a sustainable solution to the flood problem. We had said even earlier that heavy destruction is caused by building embankments on the Farakka, Bagmati and other rivers. But the embankment construction continues despite the objections of the people.
Report on Champaran Flood Disaster
The flood report from Champaran sent by CPI(ML) leader Virendra Prasad Gupta reveals an extremely grave situation. There has been tremendous loss of life and property in entire Champaran, particularly the Narkatiyaganj sub-division but the BJP-JD (U) government remains totally insensitive. In Champaran alone there have been dozens of deaths. Right under the nose of the Narkatiyaganj administration in Nandpur Mohalla Ward No 2 two boys drowned to death while they were trying to save a woman; the body of one of them, Mahtab Alam, has been recovered but the body of Ajay Kumar is still missing. From the morning of 13 August it was clear that communication between the villages of Narkatiyaganj and Gounaha were cut off, but still the divisional administration did not put the NDRF personnel on the task, did not try to establish communication through boats, and did not try to drop supplies by helicopter to the affected areas. People were trapped in places close to the city but district officials took no steps for relief. Shiv Chandra in village Malhi remained trapped on a tree all night and the villagers somehow managed to rescue him the next morning. Lalan Paswan of Narkatiya village drowned to death and is body is still to be recovered. All roads are still closed to traffic. It is criminal negligence on the part of the district administration not to take steps despite the announcements of the weather forecast.
The CPI (ML) makes the following demands: Rs 10 lakh each to the families of the dead victims; supply without delay of plastic covers, ration, kerosene etc to homeless and ration-less people; rations and Rs 5000 for other necessities to all flood victims; rehabilitation of displaced victims. Further, the government should give top priority to flood relief work and do this work on a war footing. Champaran, Sitapur, Seemanchal, Mithilanchal and other places are severely flood-affected.
