Every year, the areas nearby Koshi River are inundated during monsoon as the embankments are in poor shape. The Indian officials' team led by Bijay Chaudhary, irrigation minister of the Bihar state government, has carried out monitoring of the repair and maintenance at the project sites both on the Nepali and Indian sites.
The Indian team also included Bijendra Yadav, finance minister of the Bihar state government, Dipak Kumar Singh, commissioner of department of irrigation, and Bijay Kumar, engineer-in-chief of Koshi project.Earlier, constituent assembly members Upendra Yadav and Ashok Kumar Mandal from Sunsari and Saptari districts had written to the department of irrigation, Bihar about irregularities in the project.
Bihar Irrigation Minister Yadav talking to media persons, said, "During our monitoring, we found irregularities in the repair and maintenance works at different sites of the western embankment and afflux dam."
According to him, the construction materials used for repair and maintenance did not meet the set standards. The team has warned the workers and officers at the site that strong action would be taken against them.
The team has said the pressure of water is high at three embankment sites on the Indian side, while the embankments in the eastern and western parts on the Nepali side are safe.
The team members also expressed their commitment to take legal action against the contractors involved in repair and maintenance works.
It is learnt that Swachhanda Nirman Sewa, a Nepali company, registered by an Indian national, Raju Singh, was selected without following due procedures. The company is constructing service track along the western embankment on the Nepal side as part of the Koshi project.
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