Center's high-level panel meets Bihar minister to find solution to recurring floods

Patna: A high-level committee, set up by the central government to devise a long-term solution to the recurring floods in Bihar, met Bihar Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and other senior officials on Friday to discuss flood mitigation measures being taken in the state by the Centre.

According to a statement issued by the Water Resources Department (WRD), "The five-member committee met the minister and other senior officials of the department and discussed several flood mitigation measures being taken by the Center in the state.

The Committee members also apprised the minister about different ongoing and proposed projects for flood management and control that have been formulated by the central government, it said.

"Despite issues pertaining to mitigate flooding through de-siltation of the rivers and possibility of the construction of dams were also discussed at length", the statement said.

The meeting was also attended by two other Bihar ministers - Ashok Choudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav.

Earlier in the day, the committee members met Sanjay Jha, JD(U)'s working president. Jha who is currently the party's Rajya Sabha MP, was earlier the WRD minister in the state.

"It was based on his initiative that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar agreed to constitute a high-level committee to find a long-term solution to recurring floods in Bihar," said the statement.