Haryana adopts Bihar village

Saharsa (Bihar) June 16 (ANI): A village in Bihar, ravaged by the 2008 devastating floods, has been restored with the help of Haryana.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupendra Singh Hooda, accompanied by his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar, inaugurated the Sahpurmusahari village in Saharsa district on Monday.

Haryana Government had adopted Sahpurmusahari to undertake rehabilitation work, following widespread loss of life and property due to an overflowing Kosi river last year.

Speaking at the function, Hooda promised a further aid of Rupees 50 million.

He thanked the people of Bihar for their contribution to Haryana's prosperity.

Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar said, "I am very happy to say that Haryana is one of the leading states of India today. But for us to come up to this level there is a big contribution of my Bihari brothers. Many Bihar brothers come to Haryana and we give them equal rights and facilities. They play a big role in the state's development and I am grateful for it," he said.

"It's not a small thing that people came from Haryana not only to assist in relief work but also to help in rehabilitation. Other people should also learn from it. Some private sector people are also undertaking relief work at many places and we (government of Bihar) shall do our bit as well," said Nitish Kumar.

The flooding, said to be the worst in 50 years, was caused after an embankment of the Kosi River was breached in Nepal, from where it originates. This unleashed huge waves of water, which smashed mud embankments downstream in Bihar.

The waters of the Kosi gushed into parts of Bihar, inundating vast tracts and affecting around two million people. (ANI)