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.
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.
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.
Nearly two million population spread over eight districts in Bihar continued to reel under the impact of floods as the overall situation remained unchanged with major rivers, including Punpun, Bagmati and Kosi, in spate.
As relief pours in torrents with corporates, NGOs, organisations and individuals chipping in which help, India presents the picture of a nation united behind the state and its hapless millions in their hour of crisis. But that is not not the case with home-bred politicians, who are at war with each other in their bid to outdo their rivals in the game of relief politics.
Official sources claimed in Patna on Saturday that more than nine lakh people of the 10 lakh flood victims had either moved out to safer places on their own or had been evacuated by the state government, Central agencies and other organisations engaged in rescue and relief operation.
The Army has pressed 18 columns and 17 more would be mobilised in two more days, taking the total number to 35, for carrying out relief and rescue operations in flood ravaged areas in north Bihar.General Commanding Officer of Eastern Command Lieutenant General H S Panag told newspersons that a total of 18 columns had already reached the flood affected areas and 17 more would reach by September 3, making it a total of 35.
The flood situation in Bihar continues grim with people climbing on rooftops of educational institutions for safety, even as such buildings are showing signs of collapse.
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.
Several persons went missing and are now feared dead after a boat carrying flood victims capsized in the swollen Kosi in Bihar's Madhepura district during a rescue mission on Friday.
With over 20 lakh people bearing the brunt of floods in 14 districts of Bihar, three Indian Air Force helicopters continued to drop relief materials in the worst hit Supaul, Araria and Madhepura for the fifth successive day on Monday as the turbulent waters of the Kosi submerged fresh areas in the three districts.
The confidence of 11 crore people of Bihar has been "broken" due to Nitish Kumar's action, he said.
Over two million people in Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Saharsa, East Champaran, Supaul, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Patna, Katihar and Bhagalpur are reeling under the impact of the calamities
With Vishwa Hindu Parishad adamant in going ahead with its planned yatra from Ayodhya from Sunday, the Faizabad district administration on Friday issued arrest warrants against its 70 leaders amid heavy deployment of police force in the twin towns.
A large number of Biharis are unafraid to go to Mumbai despite the violence unleashed on north Indians by Maharashtra Navanirman Sena.
The Samajwadi Party government went overboard in deploying nearly 10,000 policemen to patrol the streets of Ayodhya to prevent the VHP from carrying out its 84-kosi parikrama, reports Sharat Pradhan
Central Water Commission sources said the situation continued to be grim following incessant rains in the catchment areas of these rivers.
With major rivers overflowing due to incessant rainfall, life has come to a stand-still for people in parts of Bihar and Assam.
Janata Dal-United president Sharad Yadav on Wednesday visited the native village of jailed criminal-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh, a former MP serving life sentence in a murder case, to seek blessings of his mother for the Lok Sabha polls.
Union Minister Salman Khurshid said that the decision to ban VHP's 84 Kosi yatra has been taken by the Samajwadi Party government of Uttar Pradesh and Congress had nothing to do with it.
Swirling waters inundated 12 districts of Buxar, Bhojpur, Patna, Vaishali, Saran, Begusarai, Samastipur, Lakhisarai, Khagaria, Munger, Bhagalpur and Katihar.
With four more deaths, the toll in Bihar floods on Saturday increased to 153, while 12 more panchayat areas were inundated affecting a total population of 34.69 lakh in twelve districts.
An overcrowded boat capsized midstream in Kosi River off Jauri village in Bihar's Saharsa district.
'Villages are much better prepared than towns as far as COVID-19 is concerned.'
The twin towns of Ayodhya and Faizabad were on the edge on Saturday as tension mounted on the eve of VHP's yatra with the UP government cracking down on the saffron outfit arresting some of its leaders and over 350 activists.
Hundreds of RSS cadres are helping the Saffron party counter Lalu-Nitish's campaign on the reservation issue in Bihar polls, observes M I Khan
Major rivers like Bagmati, Kosi, Kresh and Gandak continued to recede, a Central Water Commission report said.
Villagers have complained about a delay in rescue operations.
Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi sharpened his attack on Nitish Kumar, saying the Janata Dal-United leader's "arrogance" and "ambition" to become prime minister drove him to split from BJP, and compared the socio-economic conditions of Muslims in Gujarat and Bihar to claim he practised "true" secularism.
Main accused Ramji Verma was apprehended from Champa town of Janjgir-Champa district in Chhatisgarh.
Over 20 million people have been affected and 138 lives have been lost in the floods, which have hit Bihar's northern districts since the first week of July.
'Nitish Kumar's government has proved during these floods that it is a helpless government.'
Of these, 290 were reported from the three worst-hit districts of Darbhanga, Samastipur and Sitamarhi, disaster management sources told PTI in Patna.
The floods have also damaged crops in 2 lakh hectares of land.
A day after the Uttar Pradesh government banned its proposed 'Sankalp Diwas' rally, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Tuesday vowed to go ahead with its programme even as the district administration said it was determined to thwart any such plan.
Notwithstanding the massive crackdown by UP administration, VHP leader Ashok Singhal advised the state government to review the decision to ban 84 kosi yatra saying it could not be stopped as saints from across the country would be reaching Ayodhya soon.
Accusing Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav of buckling under pressure of his party colleague Azam Khan in banning its proposed yatra, the VHP said it will go ahead with its plan.
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