PATNA: Water resources department (WRD) minister Sanjay Kumar Jha said on Wednesday that the rubber dam construction on Phalgu river near Vishnupad temple at Bodh Gaya will be ready for use by the pilgrims before the start of the ‘Pitripiksha’ this year. Besides, several other projects have reached the advanced stage of construction and a few of them would also be ready by the end of this year, Jha said.
While giving the government’s reply to the House debate on the budgetary demand of WRD worth Rs4,310.56 crore for 2022-23, Jha cited the Ganga Jal Apoorti Yojana (GJAY), which envisaged the supply of Ganga water to Nawada, Rajgir, Gaya and Bodh Gaya. “From June this year, the Ganga water will be provided to Rajgir and Gaya towns,” Jha said, adding the project envisages drawing excess water from the Ganga at Mokama during July to October and taking them to the four towns through pipeline.
The WRD sum includes Rs1077.93 crore as establishment and committed expenditure, as well as Rs3232.63 crore of scheme (plan fund) expenditure. The budget was passed by voice vote as the opposition members had walked out of the House.The minister said 85% of the work on the intra-linking of Belwadhar river in Sheohar with Bagmati to transfer excess water from it to the former through a channel has been nearly completed. The project envisages construction of embankment and a road on it to provide alternative route from Sitamarhi to Motihari and irrigation facility in Sheohar, Sitamarhi, East Champaran and Muzaffarpur districts, besides controlling floods.
Similarly, the Centre has already consented to the interlinking of Kosi and Mechi rivers, Jha said, adding the state has been demanding fund sharing by the Centre and the state in the ratio of 90:10, while the clearance has been given for fund sharing in 60:40 ratio.Since it is national project, National Water Development Authority has started preparing the DPR for plan execution in the near future to benefit Purnia, Katihar, Araria and Kishanganj districts in Seemanchal region. He said the government has prepared a plan for the revival of the dead Lakhandei river in Sitamarhi district.
Over the decades, the silt deposits have rendered the river dead, like Kamla river in the Mithila region. As the department has already been using technology driven mathematical model for flood forecasting 72 hours in advance, its subsidiary unit called physical modelling unit is coming up at Birpur in Supaul district and will help in anticipating the force of floodwaters and the likely extent of damage to facilitate advance alert regarding flood ferocity for people in the Kosi basin, Jha said.
