The Bihar government is preparing to place a demand of more than ₹ 10,000 crore before the Centre as compensation for the widespread damage caused by the recent floods to people, agriculture, and public infrastructure, a senior officer familiar with the assessment process said on Friday.
Major infrastructure devastation has been reported by the rural works department (RWD), water resources department (WRD), road construction department (RCD) and the education department. Over 4,000 government schools were submerged across the flood-hit districts, disrupting education for more than three lakh students; many buildings suffered severe structural damage, and some collapsed. “Rural roads have been damaged extensively, and it might take over ₹ 3,000 crore to restore them. The DMD has so far transferred ₹ 579.23 crore as immediate ex-gratia assistance of ₹ 7,000 per family to 8,27,472 verified flood-affected households through direct benefit transfer. Community kitchens numbering over 1,200 have served more than 1.2 crore meals, while relief camps, dry ration packets, polythene sheets and cattle feed have been distributed on a large scale. The overall expenditure on compensation, relief measures, and community kitchens is estimated at around ₹ 2,000 crore, though the final consolidated figure is still being compiled.
Major district roads and state highways have also borne a heavy brunt of the floods,” said the officer. A senior engineer of the WRD said that embankments on the river Gandak have been damaged at multiple locations.
Opposition’s pressure
Opposition leaders also stepped up pressure on both the Centre and the state government.
“The assessment of damages is in the final stages.
We hope that the assessment will conclude next week and the final demand will be sent to the Centre soon after,” a principal secretary-rank officer said. A senior official of the disaster management department (DMD), the nodal agency, said the process was delayed by a second wave that hit the north-western districts late and caused extensive damage to standing crops, infrastructure, school buildings, embankments and roads.
