Centre has no plans to shift GFCC headquarters out of Bihar: Minister

Thecommission deals with flood and its management in the Gangabasin states.The Ganga basin states are Bihar, Uttar Pradesh,Uttrakhand, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, MadhyaPradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and West Bengal.Jha said he drew the attention of the Union ministerto the fact that 80 per cent area under the jurisdiction ofthe commission is in Bihar, which sees flood almost everyyear.

The Bihar government said onSunday that the Centre has no plan to shift the Ganga FloodControl Commission (GFCC) headquarters to Uttar Pradesh.

Bihar Water Resources Minister Sanjay Kumar Jha saidhe spoke to Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawatover reports of shifting the GFCC head office from Patna toLucknow.

''Shekhawat said there is no such plan in theministry,'' Jha told PTI.

Jha said he took up the matter with the Union ministerin the backdrop of reports in a section of the press, quotingGFCC chairman that the headquarters will be shifted to Lucknowin two months.

The GFCC, which comes under the Union Jal ShaktiMinistry, has its headquarters at Patna since 1972. Thecommission deals with flood and its management in the Gangabasin states.

The Ganga basin states are Bihar, Uttar Pradesh,Uttrakhand, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, MadhyaPradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and West Bengal.

Jha said he drew the attention of the Union ministerto the fact that 80 per cent area under the jurisdiction ofthe commission is in Bihar, which sees flood almost everyyear. Further, UP already has a directorate office of theGFCC.

Shekhawat categorically dismissed any proposal ofshifting the headquarters, he added.

Jha said Shekhawat also promised to look into thechairman's assertion regarding the shifting of theheadquarters.

The state minister noted that the GFCC chairman hasbeen showing ''discouraging approach'' towards proposals send tothe commission by the state on which Shekhawat ''promised tohave a look''.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)