|           | 
    
Patna, (Bihar Times): The state may once again face devastating floods and   engineers may once again be made scapegoat. This is the view of the Bihar   Engineering Service Association.
 In a statement it said that the water   resources department has once again failed to follow the flood protection   calendar this year. Flood protection along Kosi, Ganga and other rivers had to   be completed by April 15, May 31 and April 30 respectively, but the work started   in May and June, that is, just a few days before the arrival of the   monsoon.
 
    
    
    According to the president and secretary of the BESA, Amalendu   Kumar Jha and Rajeshwar Mishra the delay is mainly because the department is   facing acute shortage of engineers and the state government is not serious in   filling them. At present there exists 1,500 vacancies from assistant engineers   to engineer-in-chief level. Against 20 vacancies of engineers-in-chief there is   at present only one person holding that post.  
 The two said that the state   government’s aim of providing irrigation to the entire land by the year 2020   would remain a pipedream if the vacant posts are not filled.
 
 Last year   too the Association blamed the state government and its bureaucracy for the   devastating floods, which caused death to hundreds of people and heavy loss of   property. The state government, on its part, threatened to take action against   engineers.
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
   |   
   |