Patna/New Delhi, October 27(HS): Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary strongly opposed the proposed relocation of the Ganga Flood Control Commission’s headquarters from Patna to Delhi at the 19th meeting of the Ganga Flood Control Board held in New Delhi on Tuesday. He urged the Centre to retain the headquarters in Patna, a demand also supported by representatives from West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. Following their appeal, Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Patil directed that the headquarters remain at its existing location.

At the meeting, chaired by Patil, Choudhary said the Commission’s chairman and members had been based in Patna since its establishment in 1972. However, the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti had recently shifted its headquarters to Delhi, a move he said could create serious difficulties in securing timely approvals for flood-management projects in Bihar and implementing flood-protection works within the stipulated timeframe.

He said the Bihar government, under Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, had previously requested that the Commission’s headquarters remain in Patna. He emphasised that retaining it there was consistent with the institution’s original purpose and would facilitate effective coordination on flood-management issues.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Uttar Pradesh Water Resources Minister Swatantra Dev Singh also supported Bihar’s demand at the meeting.

Choudhary also raised concerns about the timely approval of flood-management projects. He said proposals under the Flood Management Programme and the River Management and Border Areas Programme needed to receive clearance from the Central Government without delay.

The Bihar government intends to submit all its proposals to the Centre by the end of December. It has urged the Central Water Commission and the Ministry of Jal Shakti to approve the schemes by the end of February, thereby allowing at least three months for the implementation of flood-protection works before the next flood season. The Union minister assured the state that the matter would be addressed promptly.

Silt management was another major issue discussed at the meeting. Choudhary said the uncontrolled accumulation of silt in rivers was steadily reducing their water-carrying capacity and aggravating floods. As riverbeds rise due to sediment deposition, water levels in several rivers have been reaching new high flood levels (HFLs) in recent years, he said.

Warning of the long-term consequences, he stressed that effective measures must be taken in time to manage silt accumulation, cautioning that continued neglect could threaten the very existence of rivers.

Choudhary said Bihar had become the first state in the country to formulate the ‘Bihar Water Resources Restoration and Silt Management Policy, 2026’, linking silt management with its commercial utilisation. He urged the Central Government to develop a comprehensive national policy on silt management as well.

Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Ram Nath Thakur, Bihar Water Resources Department Secretary Dr Chandrashekhar Singh, and officials from various Union ministries, NITI Aayog, the Central Water Commission and other concerned departments attended the meeting.

Representatives from several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh, also participated in the deliberations.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar