Bihar Floods: All October 2 Programmes To Mark Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th Anniversary Postponed

All the programmes to mark the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, including the cultural programme, have been cancelled, officials said on Tuesday.

Patna: National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) workers distribute relife material to flood-affected people of Rajendra Nagar area after heavy rains, in Patna, Tuesday, Oct. 01, 2019. (PTI Photo)(PTI10_1_2019_000050B)

Patna: The massive water logging in Patna and flood in over a dozen districts across Bihar, after heavy rains for three days, not only has affected normal life, it has also forced the state government to defer the much hyped launch of its ambitious "Jal Jeevan Haryali Abhiyan" on October 2. All the programmes to mark the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, including the cultural programme, have been cancelled, officials said on Tuesday. The Education Department has deferred functions in schools on October 2 in view of the water logging and flood. As per the earlier notification, all schools were ordered to remain open on October 2 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Principal secretary, Rural Development Department, Arvind Choudhary said that Jal Jeevan Haryali Abhiyan was deferred due to the situation arising after the heavy rainfall. This campaign was the brainchild of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has advocated for the protection of environment. The state cabinet last week approved Rs 24,524 crore for the campaign to be implemented over the next three years. However, the heavy rains and the following deluge has gravely affected the government plans. Due to the flooding, the schools have been closed till Tuesday, exams have been also been postponed and even date of official and private functions have been extended. In the water logged residential localities in Patna, relief and rescue operations were speeded up on Tuesday with two helicopters engaged in dropping food, water and other essential items. The boats carrying essential items were also reaching the stranded people. The Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Urban Development Department have pressed in high tech machines to pump out water from the water logged localities. However, PMC was facing difficulty to pump out water as many drains were choked and some permanently clogged due to silt. "All pump stations are running at their optimum capacity to dewater the affected areas in view of the on going Durga Puja festival. The situation is likely to be normal within next 24 hours," Chaitanya Prasad, Principal secretary of the Urban Development drpartment said. Heavy rains in Bihar have claimed 43 lives and thousands have been affected. Much to the relief of people, there has been no rain in the last over 24 hours. The IMD has predicted no heavy rains and clear sky with sun shine. According to the local weather department officials, Patna has recorded 346 mm rains in four days. Life is slowly returning to normal but it will take another two to three days if there there are no more rains. Trains have started running,life is returning to roads, particularly the national highways.