Bihar approves Rs 197 crore to plug Kosi breach

PATNA: Bihar cabinet on Friday gave its nod to spend Rs 197 crore to reconstruct, strengthen and plug the breach in the embankment caused by Kosi river on August 18 at Kusaha in Nepal which left more than 30 lakh people marooned in five districts.

''The cabinet headed by the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today approved the Rs 197 crore for reconstruction, strengthening and breach closure of Kosi embankment,'' the joint secretary to the cabinet secretariat, Radhakrishna Choudhary said.

The state government has already got Rs 40 crore out of Rs 197 crore from the Centre for the breach closure work, Choudhary told reporters after the cabinet meeting.

Considering the significance of the work and time constraint, the government would allot the tender on an urgent basis within a week to an agency to start the work, which would be completed by March 31 next year, he said.