Flood victims protest Bihar minister's Katihar visit over relief gaps

Flood-affected residents protested during Bihar minister Pramod Kumar Chandrawanshi's visit to Katihar district, alleging gaps in relief camps and essential supplies. The protest took place in the Barari Assembly constituency on Saturday, according to meida reports.

Residents raised slogans against Chandrawanshi and Barari MLA Vijay Kumar Singh during the visit to the Mohna Chandpur panchayat area. The minister and MLA left without completing their visit, while officials later calmed the situation.

Mohammad Irshad, the sarpanch of Mohnachandpur, alleged that the minister did not visit any relief camp during the tour. He also alleged that a camp meant for Ward 11 was operating in Ward 5, while Ward 17 had no relief camp or community kitchen.

Residents sought food, drinking water, electricity, plastic sheets, livestock fodder, mobile toilets and regular health services. They alleged that officials were assessing relief work from roads instead of reaching interior areas.

Chandrawanshi rejected the allegations and accused some people of trying to defame the government and provoke residents. He maintained that people directly affected by the floods were satisfied with the arrangements.

About 8.23 lakh people across seven blocks of Katihar had been affected by floods in Bihar.

A Bihar State Disaster Management Authority review published in June listed 514 boats, 12 permanent shelters and 627 proposed community-kitchen locations for Katihar. The authority also said permanent shelters in Katihar and Purnea required extensive cleaning, maintenance and improvement before the monsoon.