Paswan Unhappy with Flood Relief Efforts in Bihar
Patna: Aug. 18, 2007
 Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, at a press conference in Patna on Saturday accused the NDA government in Bihar of not doing enough for the flood victims in the state while also holding it responsible for not accepting help from other organizations who were willing to extend a helping hand in combating flood in the state.
"I had offered help from the Steel and Chemical Ministry but the state government did not pay any attention to it. As far as I am concerned, my offers were rejected by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar," Paswan said adding this forced him to step forward in the aid of the flood victims in Bihar.
"Because of the NDA government's apathetic approach towards the flood victims, millions of people in Bihar are still reeling from the impact of flood," the LJP leader said.
 Paswan, however, supported Kumar's appeal for a Rs. 8,600 crore aid package from the Central government saying he hoped the Union government would not delay in releasing the fund in the interest of the flood victims in the state.
"What really bothers me is the fact that as soon as the flood situation eases in the state, leaders from all parties forget about the devastation and do not try to find a permanent solution to it until the next year when the state once again is facing flood situation," Paswan said.
The LJP leader also reminded the Nitish government of giving a full account of all the money received in the name of flood relief from various agencies.
"So far the government has not given any account of the Rs. 550 crore received from the Emergency Relief Fund. Sooner or later they will have to explain where the money went," he said.
The Union Minister further suggested that the Central government should engage Nepal in a bilateral talk to find a permanent solution to the recurring flood in the state.
Paswan hailed the the contributions of several public sector undertakings including the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), National Mineral Development Corporation, and Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited for making significant contributions in the distribution of relief materials in flood-hit districts in Bihar.
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