By IANS,
Patna : Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and yoga guru Baba Ramdev paid separate visits to flood-devastated Bihar Tuesday.
Rahul Gandhi visited relief camps in Purnia and Araria districts. “Rahul took personal interest to know the problems of the flood victims and assured them all possible help,” an official said.
Similarly, Baba Ramdev and Lalu Prasad also visited flood victims in Saharsa and Madhepura districts.
Ramdev said that his yoga school was running 25 relief camps in the flood-affected areas and had provided food for almost 40,000 people.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar visited some camps and interacted with the people in Saharsa. He had visited relief camps in Araria Monday.
Central minister and Lok Janshakti Party chief Ramvilas Paswan Tuesday demanded an inquiry into the breach of the Kosi embankment upstream that forced the river to change its course and created havoc in Bihar.
The authorities have evacuated 971,000 people to safer places so far. Around 279,000 people have taken shelter in over 300 relief camps in flood-affected areas, according to officials.
The water resources department said that the Kosi continued its receding trend. However, the river continues to pose a threat to the lives of thousands of people trapped in the floods – the worst in Bihar in over 50 years.
The floods have claimed at least 50 lives, according to official estimates. However, voluntary agencies fear the deaths could be in hundreds.
Over 2.5 million people and nearly 1 million cattle have been affected. About 100,000 hectares of farmland has been submerged and nearly 300,000 houses damaged.