Floodwater from the damaged Ganga Prasad Jamindari bund (embankment) has forced Naugachia residents to press the panic button.

The people are trying to escape a township where the entire government machinery has collapsed. Even government employees are busy trying to save their lives and moving their household from their marooned houses, making a mockery of the government's relief and rescue operations.

The Naugachia court, superintendent of police's residence. quarters of administrative, police and judicial officials and staff are submerged.

From Monday, the Naugachia court started functioning from Raj Place, a hotel in Makandpur Chak.

The Bhagalpur district and sessions judge Arvind Madhav inspected the situation and ordered shifting of the court. "Only the Patna High Court can order the court's closure so we made the temporary arrangement," Madhav told reporters.

"Naugachia turns into a ghost town after sunset, as the floodwater has hit the Naugachia power sub-station," said Anandi Yadav, a resident here.

The only positive news on Monday was restoration of train services on the Katihar-Baruni section of East Central Railways nine hours after it collapsed on Sunday following a massive landslide.

Naugachia is under water since August 26, when a part of the Jamindari bund at Ismailpur block got washed away. The situation turned grim as the water level kept rising.

On August 27, some 270 inmates of Naugachia sub-jail were shifted to Jubba Shani Central jail in Bhagalpur.

Vast areas of four blocks in Naugachia sub-division are inundated, connectivity to Naugachia market on NH-31 is disrupted, a part of road no. 14 near Makandpur Chak has got washed away, the road leading to Naugachia railway station is submerged. The situation is worse at Nayatola.

A State Disaster Response Force was on Monday engaged in rescuing government officials from their marooned houses. A team was seen shifting household items from Naugachia SDPO Mukul Ranjan's official quarters.

The situation remains grim at Tetri, Pakra, Makandpur, Dharhara, Malpur, Saidpur, Sukatia Bazar, Ajamabad and a dozens other villages.

A 7km stretch from Goshigaon to Dharhara is inundated. Sources in the road construction department said the floods have damaged nine main roads, three in Naugachia. But at Gopalpur, Dimha, Latra, Dumria and Chaparghat, people and their cattle have moved to the roads for safety.

No government official would talk to reporters.

"You're aware of our condition. Besides, we have to coordinate with district headquarters. Please leave us alone," said Naugachia sub-divisional officer Raghavendra Prasad Singh.

There is huge resentment at the condition of embankments in Naugachia, sandwiched between the furious Kosi and the Ganga. Gopalpur resident and Patna High Court lawyer Mukesh Kumar said Rs 220 crore had been spent on the embankments since 2012, but it has failed to counter the floods. "Ganga Prasad Jamindari embankment was recently damaged and more than half a dozen embankments are in danger," he said.

According to Mukesh, Rs 23 crore was spent to fight floods on the Lakshmipur-Ismailpur embankment, Rs 19 crore on Raghopur, Rs 25 crore on Samora Mandaruni and Rs 4 crore on the Mircha embankment. He feared most embankments on the Ganga were facing acute water pressure and a disaster could be waiting to happen.

Sources at the state water resources department confirmed Mukesh's fears but said flood fighting was on round the clock on a war footing.

Lallan Roy, a social worker, blamed poor quality work and use of substandard material for the Ganga Prasad Jamindari bund's damage. "Floods fighting work has been going on here since 2006 but it looks like the Ganga and Kosi rivers have washed away over Rs 550 crore," he said.

Former MP and BJP leader Anil Kumar Yadav demanded a high level probe into why the flood-fighting measures have come to a naught.