A part of Rs 800-crore irrigation project in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district collapsed on Tuesday evening hours before it was to be inaugurated by chief minister Nitish Kumar. As per officials, around 20 feet of the wall of the main canal of the Bateswar Ganga Pump Nahar Yojana (BGPNY) breached during testing.
The incident flooded a section of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) township nearby. Although water receded from most parts on Wednesday, ankle-deep water was still seen at a half-kilometre stretch of a nearby road.
“The breach had been plugged and work is in progress to strengthen the wall of the canal where the breach was caused,” said Arun Kumar, chief engineer (civil), water resources department.
CM’s visit to the area was cancelled. The project was ready for inauguration in May-June. But the event had to be cancelled due to technical glitch.
As per officials, the latest breach was likely to further delay the project. It’s costing has seen a dramatic increase from Rs 13.77 crore to Rs 828 crore. The project would serve 27,603 hectares of land, 22,716 of in Bihar.
