Patna: CM Samrat Choudhary on Saturday said the state govt was accelerating development while ensuring a balance between growth and environmental protection. He made the remarks while interacting with a cycling team travelling under the theme “Prakriti Hi Prabhu Hai”.The journey began at Janakpur Dham in Nepal and is passing through several Indian states before concluding in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The interaction was held at Nek Samvad in Lok Sevak Awas.The team, led by environmentalist and Padma Bhushan awardee Anil Prakash Joshi, praised the state govt’s initiatives in the environment sector. Its members said Bihar’s approach to environmental protection was distinctive and would benefit future generations.Choudhary said eco-tourism projects were progressing rapidly across the state. The govt had also prepared plans to promote green energy and was implementing them, besides drawing up a separate plan for better management and utilisation of the state’s water resources.The CM said Bihar had made significant progress in water conservation and plantation drives over the past 20 years under the leadership of former CM Nitish Kumar and late Sushil Kumar Modi. “Bihar’s green cover has now increased to 15%,” he said, adding that irrigated land had expanded from 21 lakh hectares to 44 lakh hectares.Referring to climatic challenges, Choudhary said the state recorded 32% less rainfall this year, even as water flowing in from Nepal caused floods in Bihar. He said the govt was working on a permanent plan to regulate the waters of the Gandak, Kosi and Ganga.He said Bihar and Jharkhand had also reached an agreement on sharing Son river water. The govt would construct the Indrapuri Barrage and link the Son with the Falgu river.
