Elections 2019: Development of Koshi Region Still a Pipedream For Flood-Hit Villages

Kolhaipatti (Madhepura/Bihar): Shankar Paswan, a farm labourer, has been waiting fruitlessly for re-construction of a pulia (small bridge) and road that were badly damaged over a decade ago by Koshi river in one of the worst flood disasters that Bihar saw in the past 50 years.

“Bahut dikkat hai,koi dekhne wala nahi hai” (We are facing immense problems, but no one is paying heed), says Paswan, expressing his anguish over the delay in constructing the two life-lines for over two dozen villages.

“For nearly 11 years, there has been great risk in crossing the river, particularly during monsoon. We have lost hope,” said Paswan, a resident of Kolhaipatti under Murliganj block that was worst hit by the Koshi floods.

Paswan has now deployed a small boat to help people to cross the river, “I collected money and purchased a boat, without any government help”, he said.

Paswan is an example of how thousands of flood victims like him in Koshi region, comprising Madhepura, Saharsa and Supaul districts, are struggling without basic amenities for years, despite Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s repeated to develop Koshi region after the 2008 floods. The three areas were the worst hit when the Koshi suddenly changed its course owing to a breach in embankment at Kushaha on the Nepal border. Koshi, in local parlance, is known as the `sorrow of north Bihar` due to its unpredictable nature.

Paswan was supported by an old villager, Siya Ram Yadav, Urmila Devi and Meera Devi, who said they were fed up with promises and assurances by different politicians during elections. ”For us, the main link with the that side of the world is Paswan’s  boat”, said Yadav.

There are hundreds of such villages that face more or less similar problems in Murliganj across Madhepura, which is part of Koshi region.

In the past 10 years, Nitish Kumar has repeatedly assured the people that he would turn the flood-ravaged Koshi region into a prosperous zone.

According to the state government and World Bank, 236,632 houses collapsed in the Koshi floods in 2008.The state government had a four-phase rehabilitation and reconstruction project and targeted construction of 1,57000 houses with World Bank help. Later, this target was reduced to 1,00,000 houses. The project was to be completed by 2014. But target was again reduced to construction of 72,000 houses and then further down to 62,644 to 61,684 only by June 2018.

Till date only 56,758 houses have been constructed for flood victims under the project.

Kaushalendar Yadav of Dumaria village, about 25 km from Madhepura town, said hundreds of fruit-bearing mango and some litchi trees were destroye after water-logging for months after the Koshi floods, but farmers hardly got any compensation. “We planted new saplings of mango and litchi four to five years ago. But these young plants are no match to our old trees that dried and died”, he said.

Amol Prasad Mandal, a retired government school teacher, who owns large farm lands in Murliganj, said some work had been done by the government, but as far as developing the Koshi region is concerned,it is a mere jumla (hollow promise).”

Nitish Kumar has also promised Koshi flood-hit farmers that sand would be removed from fertile fields and adequate compensation would be given. “The government did nothing. It is farmers like us who removed sand from our land to cultivate. Even today there is land filled with sand near our village,” Paswan said.

Brahamdeo Yadav, a frail and bare bodied farmer from Bhelahi village, was seen walking on a bamboo bridge, locally known as Chechri on a river. He said: “We are working hard to grow crops and rear cattle for livelihood, even as jobless youth continue to migrate outside”.

Surendra Mandal, from Pratapbagar village, said ”Some roads and bridges that were been washed away were rebuilt, and 25% people got funds for rehabilitation package.”

Along with some villagers, Mandal got Rs 55,000 for construction of a house under Bihar Aapda Punarwas Evam Punarnirman Project. Roads were constructed and electricity arrived in the village like other districts across Bihar, nothing special here. But lack of health facility and education are a matter of concern, “There are nearly 4,030 students in the middle school, but there are only three teachers and they too are not regular,” he added.

Chandra Kishor Yadav, a resident of Rajni panchayat, said his house was fully damaged but he got mere Rs 55 000, “I have not got funds for toilet construction, tin sheets and a solar plate as promised.”

His two sons are working in Punjab like thousands of migrant workers from Madhepura.

Chandra rued that there was no facility for education of poor children.

Mahendra Yadav, founder of Koshi Nav Nirnan Manch, an organisation working among flood victims, said the announcement to rebuild a new Koshi region remains only on paper. “What is shocking is that the government has stopped rehabilitation and reconstruction in Koshi after the first and second phase. Work on third and fourth phase was not implemented despite funds by World Bank” he added.

Mahendra told NewsClick that  Kalyanpatti village under Temabhela panchayat in Gawalpada block on the side of the river was badly hit, but rehabilitation and reconstruction has not started there. “There are several villages like it,” he added.

Sandeep Kumar Yadav of Koshi Nav Nirman Manch said the poor condition of NH in Madhepura had even angered the chief justice of Patna High Court early this year.

Abbas Chandra Asim, a Rashtriya Janata Dal leader in Murliganj, said the rehabilitation scheme had failed, adding that if a probe is ordered “rehabilitation is a big scam in Koshi”.

Madhepura along with Supaul seat of Koshi region will go to polls on April 23 in third phase of voting in Bihar for the Lok Sabha elections.