Siltation in River Ganga a big challenge: Nitish Kumar

PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today urged professors and students of National Institute of Technology (NIT), Patna, to take up the issue of siltation in Ganga River as a "challenge" and find out solution to maintain its uninterrupted flow and purity.

"This is a big challenge as how to maintain the uninterrupted flow of River Ganga. A lot has to be done in the field of silt management. I request the professors and students of NIT, Patna, to take up the issue of siltation in River Ganga as a challenge and start work to find out solution to maintain its uninterrupted flow," Kumar said.

He said this while addressing the alumni meet of NIT, Patna, formerly known as Bihar College of Engineering, at the college campus.

Kumar, an alumnus of the institute, said he had enrolled himself in 1967 and now it was the golden jubilee year of his batch.

He said he wanted the institute to be at par with Roorkee Engineering College in the field of civil engineering.

In his address, the CM said a workshop would be organised on 'uninterrupted flow and silt deposition in Ganga' in the state capital this month.

Kumar lamented on the present condition of Ganga as to how much silt has been deposited in the river because of the construction of the Farakka Dam.

"Once I showed the plight of Ganga to (a former) union minister from Buxar about Farakka as how much silt has deposited in the river. I had said the construction of the dam will not benefit anyone," he said.

It may be noted that Kumar, in his Independence Day address last year, had raised the issue saying the depth of River Ganga had reduced due to silt deposition after construction of the dam at Farakka.

The CM, on August 21, 2016, had asked the Centre to remove the dam or come out with a Silt Management Policy.