09-02-2008, 10:20 AM
Capt Kumarji, entire Kosi's not enough to wash the sins of these nitwits. From what I understan, Sonia can't get plane/helicopter on her own from GOI as she's not cabinet level so it's up to cabinet level or PM to escort her around. My guess is that Sonia decided to see Kosi situation and PM was designated to tag her along, task usually reserved for Shivraj the 'item girl' of UPA.
Kosi's tragedy: Blunder after blunder
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>The governments of India and Bihar are going about the relief work as if it is a favour they are doing for the people.</b> That favour is being doled out in a totally haphazard, unplanned, callous way. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Coming to how this all started, let us look at some facts. The barrage on the Kosi river, just before it enters India in Supaul district of Bihar from the upstream Sunsari district of Nepal, was built under the 1954 Indo-Nepal Treaty. The responsibility for the proper operation and maintenance of the barrage and the 22-km long embankment on both sides of the river is the Government of India's. In the afternoon of August 18, when the embankment breached, the flow of water was about 1.44 lakh cusecs, when the embankment and the barrage are supposed to have a designed capacity of 9.5 lakh cusecs. The fact that the embankment breached at such a low flow compared to the design capacity speaks volumes about the silt accumulation on the Kosi riverbed and about the abysmal state of maintenance of the embankment. The statement from the Indian embassy in Kathmandu that Nepal did not cooperate in ensuring timely maintenance is adding insult to the grave catastrophe
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->So it is clear that firstly, the maintenance be done by the required date and the Government of India could have ensured, at least for the sake of the two million people of Bihar and Nepal in the risk zone, that all measures were taken to ensure timely maintenance was done by June. That was not done. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
They were busy dredging Rama Setu you see.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Moreover, the pressure on the breached site on the embankment was apparent from August 5 onwards. Even at this stage, if the Government of India had used all its powers to ensure proper maintenance, the disaster could have been averted. That too was not done. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Kosi's tragedy: Blunder after blunder
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>The governments of India and Bihar are going about the relief work as if it is a favour they are doing for the people.</b> That favour is being doled out in a totally haphazard, unplanned, callous way. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Coming to how this all started, let us look at some facts. The barrage on the Kosi river, just before it enters India in Supaul district of Bihar from the upstream Sunsari district of Nepal, was built under the 1954 Indo-Nepal Treaty. The responsibility for the proper operation and maintenance of the barrage and the 22-km long embankment on both sides of the river is the Government of India's. In the afternoon of August 18, when the embankment breached, the flow of water was about 1.44 lakh cusecs, when the embankment and the barrage are supposed to have a designed capacity of 9.5 lakh cusecs. The fact that the embankment breached at such a low flow compared to the design capacity speaks volumes about the silt accumulation on the Kosi riverbed and about the abysmal state of maintenance of the embankment. The statement from the Indian embassy in Kathmandu that Nepal did not cooperate in ensuring timely maintenance is adding insult to the grave catastrophe
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->So it is clear that firstly, the maintenance be done by the required date and the Government of India could have ensured, at least for the sake of the two million people of Bihar and Nepal in the risk zone, that all measures were taken to ensure timely maintenance was done by June. That was not done. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
They were busy dredging Rama Setu you see.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Moreover, the pressure on the breached site on the embankment was apparent from August 5 onwards. Even at this stage, if the Government of India had used all its powers to ensure proper maintenance, the disaster could have been averted. That too was not done. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->