Bihar’s Water Resources Department suspended seven engineers on October 4 over alleged failures in responding to damage along the Gandak embankments. It also ordered departmental proceedings against Muzaffarpur chief engineer Kumar Manoj Gupta. Hindustan’s Patna bureau and Dainik Jagran reported the action, while PTI cited the department’s Sunday-evening statement.
The suspended staff comprise two executive engineers, three assistant engineers and two junior engineers posted in Saran and Gopalganj. The department alleged delays in emergency work, inadequate deployment of people and materials, and poor coordination with residents and elected representatives. These are allegations under departmental examination, not final findings of personal responsibility.
The department’s October 4 evening update said the Gandak at Rewaghat had dropped below the danger mark, while Lalganj remained 52 centimetres above it. Falling levels therefore did not mean the emergency had ended everywhere. Officials said protective materials were being stocked at damaged stretches.
The action follows flooding after heavy rain in Nepal and Uttar Pradesh. It is a new administrative response to the earlier embankment breaches. The reports reviewed did not include replies from the engineers, and the underlying suspension orders were not available for inspection.