'I am happy that Kosi Ma is alive and now she is looking after us.' 'I am proud of what I did.'
A day after a flood alert was sounded in Bihar, memories of the devastating 'Kosi' flood of 2008 is haunting lakhs of people in the Kosi region of Bihar.
The broader theme of the performance will be -- 'Swatantra Ka Mantra - Vande Mataram' and 'Samriddhi Ka Mantra - Viksit Bharat', officials said.
The upcoming Republic Day Parade will center around the sesquicentenary of 'Vande Mataram,' featuring themed decorations, performances, and special guests.
Around 100 artistes heralded the parade, on the theme 'Vividata Mein Ekta (Unity in Diversity) that featured a grand presentation of musical instruments, demonstrating the nation's unity and rich cultural diversity.
If the government had woken up on August 18, then a more planned evacuation was possible and most of the lakhs of people marooned today would not be there. It is clear that there has been a series of grave and criminal blunders that have led to this disaster of huge proportions. The trouble is, even now we do not know who people are whose neglect caused this disaster, and going by our track record we may never know who they are
The Centre on Sunday assured all help and assistance to Bihar for rescue and relief in the wake of emerging situation due to overflow in Kosi following a landslide in Nepal creating an artificial dam on the river and triggering possibility of floods.
In spite of several lakh rupees spent on a one-man commission set up to probe the cause of the Kosi flood that devastated many parts of Bihar, a report is no where in sight. M I Khan reports.
The Supreme Court of India has transferred a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning the safety and longevity of bridges in Bihar to the Patna High Court. The court expressed concern over the state government's handling of bridge collapses, noting that officials were suspended after incidents but reinstated after the public outcry subsided. The court also criticized the state's voluminous response to the PIL, which lacked explanations for the collapses. The Patna High Court will now monitor the state's efforts to ensure structural and safety audits of bridges in Bihar.
The bridge, constructed by the rural works department at a cost of Rs 10 crore, was not opened to the public as approach roads were yet to be constructed.
Many low-lying areas in West Bengal's sub-Himalayan region were reeling from a flood-like situation while major rivers in Bihar were flowing above the danger level at several places as unabated heavy rain lashed the country's eastern parts on Sunday.
With six colleges, the university campus was a hub of scholars from around the world. It was the first to award degree titles like Mahapandit and Pandit to graduating students.
Besides, the department has sought an explanation from officials concerned for the collapse of bridges in East Champaran on June 23 and in Madhubani on June 26.
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The revised budget for 2024-25 shows a sharp rise in the allocations, particularly for major irrigation projects and the Namami Gange Mission-II.
Government officials believe that central bridge projects perform better than state projects due to stricter checks and balances.
The Bihar government has prepared an extensive action plan for completing Kosi breach closure work by November 30, official sources said.
The government on Monday said so far there is no rise in the water level of river Kosi and there is no imminent danger but all precautionary measures are in place to deal with any eventuality.
"We had never experienced floods. My parents used to say the 1946 floods were the worst. That was before I was born," said Ram Yadav, an elder shopkeeper in Supaul's market. "But, people older than me are saying this was the route of Kosi-ji some 200 years ago, before man made structures and dams altered its course. Isn't it natural that she would one day take her normal course? We are nothing in front of nature," he said.
Twenty-five people drowned and an equal number went missing when an overcrowded country boat capsized after being caught in a whirlpool in the swollen Kosi river in Supaul on Wednesday.
Those killed included the son of the state Congress chief.
More than 45 lakh people in 30 out of the total 38 districts of the state have been affected by the calamity in two phases since last month, according to the Disaster Management Department.
The Uttarakhand tourism department is working on a plan to develop a 'Modi circuit' at the Corbett Tiger Reserve, covering the places visited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi while shooting for a television programme in 2019.
Three-and-a-half years since Bihar was ravaged by floods after a breach in the eastern embankment of the Kosi river, a one-man commission set up to probe the cause of it finally began public hearing in Patna, officials said on Thursday.
An overcrowded boat capsized midstream in Kosi River off Jauri village in Bihar's Saharsa district.
With the recovery of three more bodies, the death toll in the boat mishap in the swollen Kosi river in Supaul district has climbed to 28, a senior official said on Thursday.
Central officials said despite many enquiries by the ministry about the condition of the embankments, the state government kept silent. It did not bother to inform the ministry even when the embankments gave way, they said. In fact, the Bihar water resources department's daily newsletter said a day before the breach that the embankments were standing strong, officials said.
At least eight persons were killed and 18 others feared drowned in two separate boat mishaps in Bihar's Purnia and adjoining Supaul districts on Wednesday, officials said.
It is shocking story of chalta hai (take it easy) attitude of the state and Central government that has caused such misery to people of Bihar. By all accounts, Kosi has not fully flooded yet, says a source in Kathmandu who has visited the area. If more rains hit the area in September then, the situation will be more dangerous than it is now.
A large number of Biharis are unafraid to go to Mumbai despite the violence unleashed on north Indians by Maharashtra Navanirman Sena.
Villagers have complained about a delay in rescue operations.
The pilgrimage, which started at around 8 pm on Sunday will conclude on Tuesday.
Nearly 200 people were missing after a massive landslide in northeast Nepal that blocked Sunkoshi river, turning it into a huge lake and putting dozens of villages both in Nepal and India at risk of flash floods.
With major rivers in northern Bihar rising menacingly at several places in the state following heavy rains in catchment areas and discharge into the rivers from Nepal, thousands of people have been forced to abandon their homes and hundreds of villages have been flooded, officials said.
A high alert has been issued in the state after the landslide in Nepal. Precautionary measures have been completed," said Bihar's CM.
The overall flood situation in Bihar remained grim on Monday with major rivers in spate. Around 1.5 million people have been affected by the deluge in 11 north Bihar districts, where floods have claimed 52 lives so far, official sources said.
With the rise in level of the Ganga, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has expressed apprehension of further rise in water level by Monday in view of release of water from Bansagar dam as flood-like situation prevailed in the state.
Rahul Gandhi is behaving as if he has come from planet Mars, Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi said on Monday taunting the Congress leader for levelling accusations on others, instead of accounting for his party's 10-year rule at the Centre.
Four persons have died in Bihar since Monday in rain-related incidents due to the 'peripheral effect' of Cyclone Phailin, taking the death toll in the state to 14.
Nepal government on Wednesday declared dead the 123 people missing in the country's worst landslide in over a decade, taking the death toll from the disaster to 156, as the search for the bodies buried under the debris was called off.
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