People stand on the Bagaha embankment in West Champaran on Wednesday. Picture by Nikhil Misra

Bettiah/Raxaul, July 6: The district administration claimed today that the flood situation in West Champaran was under control but the residents cried foul over the poor relief work.

West Champaran district magistrate Sridhar Cherabolu claimed today that the flood situation had been brought under control and at present, there was no threat to any village. On the other hand, angry over denial of relief, some villagers under Sishi panchayat under Madhubani block had taken the circle officer, Tarun Kumar Singh, hostage for a few hours. He was later released after intervention of some people of the area. Hundreds of people surrounded the officer accusing him of misappropriation of the flood relief material.

The circle officer refuted the allegation and said that the trouble was politically motivated.

According to Jitendra Sah, the sub-divisional magistrate of Raxaul, the flood situation is fast improving in several villages under Adapur and Ramgarhwa blocks of East Champaran, where the situation had deteriorated yesterday following a sudden breach in the embankment of Bangari river.

Irrigation department principal secretary Afzal Amanullah, who had visited Valmikinagar last evening to take stock of the flood situation in West Champaran, held a review meeting with the senior department officials on Tuesday night. According to Cherabolu, the principal secretary visited the place to monitor the flood prevention work and expressed satisfaction over the progress. He directed the irrigation department officials to keep constant a vigil on the flood situation.

Cherabolu told The Telegraph: “The principal secretary visited the renovation site near Gandak barrage and directed the officials concerned to expedite the repair work undertaken there.”

He was also updated on the proposed bolder-pitching work by the roadside along Gandak under Bagaha-II block. Amanullah asked the department engineers to send a proposal for the work immediately.