Bihar stops Uttar Pradesh from digging channel in West Champaran

PATNA: The Bihar government on Monday stopped further work on a 10km-long channel being constructed by the order of the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government in the West Champaran district.
The channel was pegged to diverting floodwater into river Gandak, and the work was being done without due permission from the Bihar water resources department (WRD).
Now that the work has been stopped by the order of the Bihar WRD, a magistrate from the West Champaran district has been deployed to maintain vigil on the situation, Bihar water resources department (WRD) minister Sanjay Kumar Jha said on Monday.
According to Jha, the work on the channel will resume only after the flow of water through it is ascertained through the mathematical model, which will give an idea and estimate of the inundations and damage that the flowing water might cause.
“The Bihar WRD will ensure that no damage is caused to the eastern embankment of the Gandak, and the security of the embankment will not be compromised,” he added.
For the present, the work on the channel has been stopped as a follow-up step in consonance with the order of CM Nitish Kumar.
Nitish had earlier asked the Bihar WRD to get the work on the channel inspected to find out if any transgressions had been made.
Jha said a team of West Champaran district officials, along with engineers concerned from UP, inspected the site on Sunday. The team found that deviations had occurred in the execution of the work on the channel by the contractor concerned of the UP government and also no prior permission had been obtained from the Bihar WRD for it. The team also found that even as the work had been stayed by the Bihar government on April 30, the contractor kept executing it during night. The channel was being constructed in the Harpur panchayat of Thakraha block in West Champaran.
As per the alignment plan, the channel was to be linked with the Rohua nullah near Mukona village in Harpur panchayat. Further, the channel was to start from Chandarpur retire bandh in Bhitaha block of West Champaran at a distance of 1.86km from it. The last point of the channel had to link with the Rohua nullah near Mukoma. Instead of that, the work was being done to link it with the nullah near Chichirwa village at the 6.5km point in Harpur panchayat, and a high land was being cut for the purpose, Jha said.