Patna: Deputy CM and water resources department minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary on Thursday called for removal of the provision in the India-Bangladesh treaty requiring Bihar to release 1,500 cusecs of Ganga water during the lean period, saying it was affecting the state’s water needs.“The 1,500 cusecs of Ganga waters released otherwise under the treaty could be used for Bihar’s industrial development, for fulfilling drinking water needs and for irrigation purposes,” Choudhary said, adding that Bihar’s rivers provide the maximum amount of water to the Ganga despite the state facing a water crisis.He was speaking at a ‘Nitish Dialogue’ meeting in Samastipur. The initiative, covering towns and cities along the Ganga, began in Buxar on Sept 5 and will conclude in Katihar. Meetings have also been held in Saran and Vaishali.JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha, Union minister Ramnath Thakur and party state chief Umesh Singh Kushwaha were among the speakers.“Holding the Nitish Dialogue meets reflects the public concern of the JD(U),” Thakur said. Jha highlighted the treaty’s background and what he described as discriminatory practices against Bihar.
