Kosi flood cause: 3 yrs on committee still probing

In spite of several lakh rupees spent on a one-man commission set up to probe the cause of the Kosi flood that devastated many parts of Bihar, a report is no where in sight. M I Khan reports.     

It has been over three years since Bihar was ravaged by floods after a breach in the eastern embankment of the Kosi river. 

Today, even as the rising waters of Kosi poses a threat to hundreds of thousands of people in the state, the one-man Justice Rajesh Walia Commission constituted to inquire into the cause is yet to submit its report in spite of Rs 70.41 lakh spent. 

Contrary to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's repeated claims of good governance, the commission constituted to inquire into the devastating deluge of 2008 is yet to start its hearing. A deserted commission office in Patna itself is telling.

"Honestly speaking, we have no work, except to play computer games and gossip during office hours. The commission is yet to start its real work," an official at the commission office told rediff.com on conditions of anonymity.

Another official said that Justice Rajesh Walia, retired chief justice of Patna high court had hardly visited office in last three years. "Walia lives outside Bihar and has visited office only over a dozen times in connection with official work. His absence from office has forced us to spend the day without work. We, however, collect our salaries on time," he said. 

After two years of drought in Bihar, memories of the devastating Kosi flood has been haunting lakhs of people in the Kosi region. A near normal monsoon in the state and heavy rainfall in the catchment areas in Nepal have resulted in the Kosi river and other major rivers to be in full spate.

According to state government records, the commission was asked to give its report in just six months. However, there is no sign of the commission coming out with a report anytime in the near future. The term of the commission has been extended four times till now.

The commission, which was constituted on September 10, 2008, was asked to probe the cause of the breach in the eastern Kosi embankment in Kusaha in Nepal on August 18, 2008. The breach had unleashed a disastrous flood that rendered more than 30 lakh people homeless in five north-
eastern districts of Bihar.

According to officials, the Kosi river breached its bank upstream in Nepal and changed course in 2008. It was said to be the worst flood in the state in the last 50 years.

Information acquired through the Right to Information by activist Mahendra Yadav has revealed that, till now, Rs 70.41 lakh has been spent on the commission. Of this Rs 9.72 lakh has been spent on travelling and Rs 3.46 lakh on fuel.