Patna, Aug. 2 (PTI): The Railway Minister, Lalu Prasad, on Wednesday charged his rival Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with "criminal neglect" for visiting Mauritius when Bihar is reeling under floods and said he would seek the Prime Minister's intervention for stepped up relief efforts in the state.
"I will meet the PM and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to inform them about the matter and seek their intervention to rush relief to flood-hit people," he told reporters after an aerial survey of flood-hit areas in an IAF helicopter.
Prasad said he would also request them to visit Bihar and see for themselves the hardship being faced by people.
Charging the State Government with failing to provide succour to the flood-affected people, the RJD president alleged there were no relief and rescue operations "worth the name and people are left to the mercy of god".
"We were moved at seeing the miseries of people who have taken shelter on embankments, train tracks and railway platforms. Several people have died in the current spell of floods while thousands of others have taken ill," said Prasad, who was accompanied during the aerial survey by Union Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh.
Criticising the State Government for providing "scanty" relief, Prasad said the Centre would have to intervene.
He expressed surprise at the state government not approaching the Centre, which has a disaster management authority with two battalions of trained personnel earmarked for tackling natural clamities in Bihar.
The Centre cannot provide aid to a state unless its government seeks it, he said. The people of Bihar will never forgive Nitish Kumar's government for "this type of criminal neglect", he remarked.
"Railways too contribute to states during natural calamities as we did for the relief of tsunami victims and those affected by the floods in Mumbai," Prasad said.
The embankments of most rivers had been breached and Darbhanga and Madhubani districts were the worst-hit and remained cut off from the rest of the state, he said, brushing aside allegations that the erstwhile RJD regime was responsible for the current situation in Bihar.
Raghuvansh Prasad Singh accused the Bihar Government of failing to use Rs 55 crore given by the Centre in 2005-06 from the natural clamity fund and Rs 110 crore sanctioned for strengthening embankments during 2006-07.
"I will meet the PM and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to inform them about the matter and seek their intervention to rush relief to flood-hit people," he told reporters after an aerial survey of flood-hit areas in an IAF helicopter.
Prasad said he would also request them to visit Bihar and see for themselves the hardship being faced by people.
Charging the State Government with failing to provide succour to the flood-affected people, the RJD president alleged there were no relief and rescue operations "worth the name and people are left to the mercy of god".
"We were moved at seeing the miseries of people who have taken shelter on embankments, train tracks and railway platforms. Several people have died in the current spell of floods while thousands of others have taken ill," said Prasad, who was accompanied during the aerial survey by Union Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh.
Criticising the State Government for providing "scanty" relief, Prasad said the Centre would have to intervene.
He expressed surprise at the state government not approaching the Centre, which has a disaster management authority with two battalions of trained personnel earmarked for tackling natural clamities in Bihar.
The Centre cannot provide aid to a state unless its government seeks it, he said. The people of Bihar will never forgive Nitish Kumar's government for "this type of criminal neglect", he remarked.
"Railways too contribute to states during natural calamities as we did for the relief of tsunami victims and those affected by the floods in Mumbai," Prasad said.
The embankments of most rivers had been breached and Darbhanga and Madhubani districts were the worst-hit and remained cut off from the rest of the state, he said, brushing aside allegations that the erstwhile RJD regime was responsible for the current situation in Bihar.
Raghuvansh Prasad Singh accused the Bihar Government of failing to use Rs 55 crore given by the Centre in 2005-06 from the natural clamity fund and Rs 110 crore sanctioned for strengthening embankments during 2006-07.
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