RS Members Concerned at Annual Flood Havocs

New Delhi, Aug 14 (UNI) The Rajya Sabha today expressed grave concern at the depradations wrought annually by floods in various parts of the country and sought concrete measures to prevent their recurrence.

Participating in a Short Duration Discussion -- which remained inconclusive -- on the situation arising out of the heavy floods in various parts of the country and the relief measures undertaken by the Government, Members pointed to the regularity with which the natural calamity, among others, uprooted millions of people, destroyed property and crops worth crores of rupees and killed hundreds of people and scores of livestock.

They wondered why after even sixty years of independence the Central Government and State Administrations had failed to address the problem with the seriousness it deserved.

Ad-hoc relief measures -- and that too scantily -- were definitely not the answer, they asserted in unison crossing partylines.

Initiating the discussion, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kalraj Mishra gave state-wise details of losses suffered during this year's floods -- which had spread to areas hitherto unaffected by the natural calamity in earlier years.

Especially eastern Uttar Pradesh and north Bihar, he observed, suffered the depradation caused by rivers originating in India's northern neighbour Nepal.

The Centre -- together with the Nepal Government -- should devise permanent solutions to harness such rivers so that the problem could be solved once and for all, he suggested.

Mr Mishra's concerns -- and suggestion -- were echoed by both Congress member Dwijendra Nath Sharmah -- from Assam -- and Member from Uttar Pradesh Brij Bhushan Tiwary (Samajwadi Party) whose states have been traditional sufferers from floods.

Marxist member Moinul Hassan was midway through his submission when Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan ordered an end to the day's discussion -- it would be resumed at a later date.

UNI