|
Patna, (Bihar Times): The state may once again face devastating floods and engineers may once again be made scapegoat. This is the view of the Bihar Engineering Service Association.
In a statement it said that the water resources department has once again failed to follow the flood protection calendar this year. Flood protection along Kosi, Ganga and other rivers had to be completed by April 15, May 31 and April 30 respectively, but the work started in May and June, that is, just a few days before the arrival of the monsoon.
According to the president and secretary of the BESA, Amalendu Kumar Jha and Rajeshwar Mishra the delay is mainly because the department is facing acute shortage of engineers and the state government is not serious in filling them. At present there exists 1,500 vacancies from assistant engineers to engineer-in-chief level. Against 20 vacancies of engineers-in-chief there is at present only one person holding that post.
The two said that the state government’s aim of providing irrigation to the entire land by the year 2020 would remain a pipedream if the vacant posts are not filled.
Last year too the Association blamed the state government and its bureaucracy for the devastating floods, which caused death to hundreds of people and heavy loss of property. The state government, on its part, threatened to take action against engineers.
|
|