Centre agrees to keep hqrs of Ganga flood control panel in Patna

The GFCC is a subordinate office under the Union ministry of jal shakti and its is tasked with managing floods across the Ganga River basin states

Union jal shakti minister CR Patil on Monday acceded to the request of deputy chief minister-cum-water resources minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary to keep the headquarters of the Ganga Flood Control Commission (GDCC) at Patna.

The Bihar government will seek funds from the Centre to remove sand and silt from farmlands and fisheries affected in the recent floods in the state, an official statement said on Tuesday. (HT Photo)

The GFCC is a subordinate office under the Union ministry of jal shakti and its is tasked with managing floods across the Ganga River basin states.

Speaking at the 19th meeting of the Ganga Flood Control Board in New Delhi, Choudhary earlier strongly opposed the shifting of the Commission to Delhi and said that it was always in Patna and should remain there.

Choudhary said that since its formation in 1972, the headquarters of the chairman and members of the Commission was in Patna, which was recently transferred to Delhi by the Union ministry of jal shakti.

He said that it would make it difficult for Bihar to approve the flood management plans and the flood prevention work would also be stalled. He had, through CM Samrat Chaudhary, also requested the Centre to keep the headquarters of the Commission in Patna.

Choudhary also demanded timely approval of flood management schemes (Flood Management Program and River Management and Border Area Program) by the Central Government. He said that the Bihar government would try to send the flood management plans by the end of December and there should be such an arrangement to give Centre’s nod by the end of February, which would give three-month time for their implementation.

Choudhary said the Union jal shakti minister assured to take immediate action in this regard and also took note of the important issue of silt management raised by him.

The Deputy CM said that the water holding capacity of the rivers is continuously decreasing due to the accumulation of uncontrolled silt on the river bed, which aggravates the severity of flood.

“Due to the silt, the river bed is constantly rising, which has led to the new highest water point (HFL) and unbridled siltation could affect the health of rivers.

For the first time in the country, the Bihar Water Resources Restoration and Silt Management Policy 2026 has been made and there was need for a similar policy at the national level, he added.