Tejashwi seeks all-party delegation to PM

Patna: Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of opposition in the Bihar Assembly, wrote to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, urging him to seek an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a meeting with an all-party delegation from the state. In a two-page letter, Tejashwi Yadav has pointed out the problems arising every year due to the floods in more than 20 districts of the state. "Bihar is the only state in the country which faces flood-like situation every year. Crores of people are affected and they suffer loss of crops and properties. Now, Bihar has a double-engine government and so many announcements were made, but no solutions have been found," Yadav said. "In 2011, an announcement was made for river-linking projects in Bihar. It was said that rivers like the Bagmati would be linked with the Burhi Gandak and further with the Ganga river.

"Similarly, the Mechi river will be interlinked with the Koshi river. Besides, there was also a proposal to link the Kamla Balan, Mahananda, Ghagra, and other rivers of the state through canals and barrages. Unfortunately, these proposals were put in cold storage and nothing has happened on the ground," Tejashwi said."If the river-linking proposal is implemented in Bihar, it will help minimise damage due to the floods. Moreover, it will also lead to the flourishing of industries, create job opportunities, reduce drinking water problems, and form good transportation routes through rivers as well as the roads," Tejashwi said.