NDA promises permanent solution to Kosi problem in Bihar

Saharsa/Purnia, Oct 7 (UNI) Blaming the UPA government at the Centre for dumping the river interlinking project of the previous NDA regime and inviting the catastrophic floods in North Bihar, the BJP today promised a permanent solution to the problem posed by the river Kosi, once it returned to power.

BJP President Rajnath Singh, who arrived here on a daylong tour at the flood-hit areas to review the affairs at the relief camps, told newspersons that once the NDA came back to power at the Centre, it would strive for providing a permanent solution to the problems brought about by river Kosi, notoriously called ''sorrow of Bihar''.

He said that in order to prevent such natural disasters, the previous NDA government had made a vast project for interlinking the rivers.

The project, however, was put in the ''cold storage'' by the UPA government, he said adding Kushaha embankment on river Kosi would not have breached if the UPA had gone for a permanent solution.

Mr Singh suggested the Centre to negotiate with Nepal for solving the issue as all major rivers were flowing from Nepal to Bihar.

''We enjoy good relations with Nepal,'' he said and asked the UPA government to concentrate in solving the Kosi menace.

After visiting the relief camps in Purnia and Saharsa, Mr Singh lauded the efforts of the state government stating that the Nitish Kumar government had done a commendable job.

In the hour of crisis, he appealed to all political parties to stand unitedly and avoid the blame-game politics as the judicial committee constituted by the state government was already probing into the reasons for the breach in Kushaha embankment that resulted in catastrophic floods in North Bihar this year.

UNI XC RS SB PK HT1824