Senior Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) leader and Union Minister of State for Water Resources Jaiprakash Narayan Yadav accused the Bihar government of massive flood in the state by being "totally negligent" in taking preventive measures.
According to a media briefing on 3 Septemer 2008, Yadav alleged that Bihar State Water Resources Department, till August 17, kept on giving reports from the flood control cell that all the embankments under its jurisdiction were safe. However, when a breach in the east Kosi embankment at Kusaha in Nepal occurred on August 18, Yadav said, the Bihar Government came up with a report that erosions were taking place at the Kosi dam in Upper Nepal on Bahothan embankment for the past several days.
"This is how the government played with its own report to steer clear of its responsibility. This is not a hearsay disclosure but facts based on documents," Yadav said showing the copies of the Bihar Government reports to the reporters.
Regardless of who-so-ever may get the blame, the severity with which one of the worst floods in Bihar has devastated the lives of millions of people, will not diminish. Enormous rehabilitation and relief work, needs to be done. Many civil society organizations are rushing in to contribute towards the relief and rehabilitation work. One of them is Oxfam India. Oxfam has been working in India since the 1952 famine in Bihar and also undertakes long-term development work.
Oxfam India issued an appeal on Monday (1 September 2008) for funds to support its rescue and relief work in flood-hit Bihar. The money will be spent on delivering emergency shelter, food, hygiene items, clean drinking water and safe sanitation.
Oxfam and its local partner organisations have been rescuing people and responding to the crisis since August 18, when waters rushed into six eastern districts of Bihar from a 3 Km breach in River Kosi on the Nepal-India border. The worsening floods, with more rains predicted by the meteorological department, have already affected over 30 lakh people in 16 north-eastern districts of Bihar. The Prime Minister has declared the floods a national catastrophe.
Oxfam is using its motorboats to rescue stranded men, women and children from Supaul, the worst affected district. Contingency stocks of tarpaulin shelter sheets, water purification kits, buckets and Oral Rehydration Sachets (ORS), kept in readiness in flood prone districts, have also been moved to provide preliminary support to the affected. Staffers from Oxfam and two local organisations, Bihar Sewa Samiti and Abhigyan Disha, as well as trained volunteers, are working round the clock in Supaul.
"Oxfam is preparing to reach out, to being with atleast 20,000 families in Basantpur and Pratapganj, two of the worst affected blocks of Supaul," said Nisha Agrawal, CEO, Oxfam India. "We are scaling up our response on temporary shelter, food, water and sanitation. Women and children are particularly facing the brunt in cramped camps or are exposed to heat and the rains under the open sky. Pregnant and lactating mothers are not getting safe water and are forced to defecate in floodwaters. The need for hygiene and sanitation is imminent to prevent the spread of any water-borne epidemic."
Oxfam rapid assessment team toured the worst affected areas in the first few days and has recommended shelter, food and public health as the key needs. Oxfam is also coordinating from the start with other aid agencies and the government through the state-level Inter-Agency Coordination Group to ensure there is no duplication in response and that relief reaches all the needy people.
The public can donate to Oxfam by calling in on +91 11 46538000 or by sending a check in the name of Oxfam Trust, addressed to Oxfam India, Plot Number 1, 2nd Floor(above Sujan Mohinder Hospital), New Friends Colony, New Delhi - 110065 (www.oxfam.org).
A donation of Rs 2000 would give a shelter kit for a family; Rs 850 would give a hygiene kit for 5 families; and Rs 1000 would give a safe latrine to 2 families.
The hope that efforts of organizations like Oxfam will help the most affected communities, lives on.
Arrested media baron Manoranjana Sinh is undergoing tretment at a local hospital in Kolkata. CBI officials probing Saradha scam rushed her to the hospital when she complained breathing difficulties during the custodial interrogation.She was to be produced before a special court in Alipore on Tuesday as the CBI remand expired. CBI officials were expected to seek her in their remand for a few again.
Assam Don Bosco University and Educational Leadership are hosting a national conference in collaboration with Mizoram University department of Mass Communication. Dr. K. V. Nagaraj, Professor at Mizoram University and Former Pro Vice Chancellor addressed ADBU students of mass communication and educational leadership on Wednesday.The conference is being organized in collaboration with Mizoram University Mass Communication department and ADBU Departments of Educational Leadership and Mass Communication from November 2 and 3.A Pre-conference Colloquium for students and research scholars is scheduled for October 31 on ‘Media, Culture and Society.’
The city based media persons are suffering from various pain related ailments relating to their neck, shoulder and backs. It was found during a daylong physiotherapy camp, which was organized at Guwahati Press Club on 12 September 2015.Organized by the College of Physiotherapy and Medical Sciences Rehabilitation & Research Centre, Bamunimaidam (a unit of Purbanchal Educational Welfare Society), the camp covered more than 50 scribes who were offered on spot treatment and consultancies.Attended by physicians Dr Trailokya Saikia & Dr NN Sarma with physiotherapists Dr Ujwal Bhattacharya, Dr Abhijit Kalita, Dr Pooja Saikia and Dr Kritika Boruah, the camp also helped the scribes to check...
A NDFB-S rebel identified as Buddhiram Basumatary alias Birkw of Amteka Debrabil in Chirang district was apprehanded from Karigaon area in Kokrajhar by security forces belonging to the Army on Sunday morning. One factory made 7.65 mm pistol with three live rounds amunitions was recovered from him. He was later handed over to Kokrajhar police.
Congress is gearing up to form the Tiwa Autonomous Council after the ruling party won 15 out of 31 seats. The party is trying to get the support of one candidate to complete the formality. “We are in touch with several candidates who have assured us support to form the council,” said a senior Congress leader. The party needs 16 seats to formally form the council. The ruling party falls short of one seat. A senior party leader told ne24 that it would be a problem for the party since several candidates are in touch with them. The ruling party got 15 seats while the Ramakanta Deori-led Tiwa Aikya Manch got 10 seats. BJP had to remain satisfied with only 3 seats while AGP got 2 seats.
The Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) in association with Indian Women’s Press Corps, Delhi Union of Journalists, Press Club of India (New Delhi), Mumbai Press Club and Indian Federation of Working Journalists have organized a two day national consultation on media freedom and the law on 8 & 9 August next.To be held at New Delhi Press Club, the national meet is expected to highlight the burning issues relating to the frequent attacks on journalists, sexual harassment and criminal defamation cases against the media persons and also appropriate response to those attacks on press freedom including legal measures.Senior journalist and media commentators like Paranjoy Guha Thakurtha, Bharat...
Former President APJ Abdul Kalam passed away at Shillong on Monday. He collasped at a function in Indian Institute of Management Shillong duering a lecture. He was rushed to the ICU of Bethani Hospital where he was declared dead. He was 83. Condolence from variuosusection of people and leaders are pouring in.Deeply saddened at the sudden demise of the former president of India Dr. APAJ Abdul Kalam. He was an inspiration to an entire generation.— Rajnath Singh (@BJPRajnathSingh) July 27, 2015Death of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam is a great loss to the country. He was a common men's President and an icon of the young generation...— Tarun Gogoi (@tarun_gogoi) July 27, 2015RIP #APJ...
A non resident Indian (NRI) has taken upon himself the mission of paying back to society by spending his annual vacation and home visit giving motivational lectures to school and college students. He has been doing this for the past 33 years.“I do not do it for the money. It is my way of paying back to society for the many blessings which I have received over the years,” confessed Dr. George Kallingal a Professor Emeritus at University of Guam (USA) who visited East and northeast India spending time in schools and colleges in Bengal, Assam and neighbouring Meghalaya.His hour-long presentation combined academic achievement, spirituality, and realities of young people into sharp perspective....
As many as 3600 BJP leaders and workers are waiting to be contested from 126 assembly constituencies early next year. State BJP president Siddharth Bhattacharya on Wednesday submitted before the party’s central leadership the list of the ticket aspirants in New Delhi.BJP sources told Assam Times that the state unit has forwarded all applications to the party leadership for finalizing 126 candidates. The party leadership is believed to have been deploying a panel of top leaders to study the winning ability of the applicants.
Prime minister Narendra Modi is facing flak across the state for not appointing Rupsikha Bora as OIL chief. Even after the public enterprises selection committee shortlisted the name of the senior finance director three months back, the prime minister’s office did not prefer the first one chartered accountant from the north east as OIL chairperson and managing director.In his letter, Chief minister Tarun Gogoi urged prime minister Narendra Modi to confirm Bora’s appointment in the helm of OIL.Many local organizations in the state staged dharna in front of the OIL headquarters in Duliajan alleging PMO’s discrimination.A section of the protesters further burnt the effigy of the prime...
Add new comment