Patna is safe, people need not worry: DM

Do Patnaites face flood threat?
After seeing today’s trend of the Ganga, I can say Patna is safe and people need not worry.
Which areas are the worst affected?
Diara is the worst affected, as well as Patna City and Deedarganj. In rest of the city, the situation is under control.
What about the rescue operation and relief for those who have been affected by the flood?
In the entire Patna district, we have nine teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) consisting of 20 to 25 personnel each.We also have 148 boats and have organized 30 camps throughout the district, from where we would be providing food, medicine as well as fodder for the animals.
What about the less visibility of police, in spite of flood threat?
We have asked Patna SSP to increase patrolling. We have also asked him to deploy 300 extra constables to man all the ghats. Most of these constables would be stationed by Sunday evening and the rest by Monday morning.
What are you doing to stop back flow of Ganga water through big drains?
Most of the drains having their outlet in the Ganga have been closed. Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC), irrigation department and Bihar Rajya Jal Parishad (BRJP) are working together to avoid river water from entering the city through drains.
The residents of Ganga Tower near LCT Ghat complained of no help from the administration in spite of their request.
We have provided them with sufficient help. On Saturday itself, PMC stationed two motor pumps to remove water from the apartments’ premises, for which we had to barricade that route. The problem is that the basement of the apartments is quite low and they have directly connected their sewerage pipe to the Ganga.
In many localities, people started panic buying after getting the news of flood. This may lead to price rise and hoarding of essential commodities. What steps have you taken to stop traders from hoarding?
I would again request people not to panic. As of now, we have not received any complaint of hoarding, but we will be alert and would conduct raids.