Bihar appoints ex-Patna HC chief justice for Kosi probe

Patna, Sept 11 : The Bihar Government has appointed Rajesh Balia, a former Chief Justice of Patna High Court, to conduct a judicial probe into the breach in the Kosi embankment that triggered the worst floods of Bihar in 50 years.

On Wednesday night a notification was issued for the one-man inquiry commission according to reports.

The state government had on Tuesday night ordered a judicial probe to look into the circumstances that led to the breach in the Kosi embankment, which was approved by the state cabinet

The government has asked the judicial panel to submit its report within six months from the date of notification.

Railway Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad Yadav said, "By ordering the judicial probe, the state government is trying to save its skin."

"The probe will not serve any purpose because the Nitish Kumar government is to blame for the breach. Everyone knows that," added Yadav.

The judicial panel will examine aspects related to the efforts to maintain the utility of the project since its inception in 1953, particularly after the 1979 heavy landslide that pushed the Kosi towards its eastern bund and the 1991 breach.

The panel will also enquire whether the flood protection works of the Kosi embankment, as recommended by the expert committee had been completed before the onset of the monsoon this year.

Besides, the panel is expected to suggest remedial measures to prevent such a catastrophe in the future.

ANI