A damaged bridge during the 2008 Kosi flood. Telegraph picture

Patna, Sept. 5: The Bihar Apda Prabandhan Evam Punarnirman Society (BAPEPS) today decided to rope in the services of Owner Driven Reconstruction Collaborative (ODRC) to execute the housing project in the flood-hit Kosi division using a part of the $220 million loan the World Bank has committed to the state.

The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by BAPEPS’s chief functionary K.C. Saha, who also holds the post of development commissioner of the state. BAPEPS convened the meeting today as the World Bank had recently sent a letter to the society seeking an alternative in case it did not enter into an agreement with the ODRC for playing the role of the implementation partner. The letter also said it would reconsider its plan of extending help for the housing project in the Kosi region if no decision was taken. The Telegraph had carried a report highlighting this issue in its September 1 edition.

The state government constituted BAPEPS to pilot the Bihar Kosi Flood Recovery Project, which entails construction of around one lakh dwelling units, 90 bridges and 290km of rural roads among other things using the World Bank loan money. ODRC is a group of non-government organisations working in the area since 2008. It was providing technical support to the housing project besides playing a key role in guiding the beneficiaries for proper utilisation of fund.

A BAPEPS member, who took part in the meeting today, told The Telegraph: “We have decided to take the services of ODRC in the housing project. As it would be done on nomination basis, a formal approval of the state government would be taken before formalising the agreement.”

The member said the state government would have no problem in approving the proposal because it was quite satisfied with the work done by ODRC in the Kosi region so far.

After the BAPEPS meeting was over, ODRC officials had a meeting with BAPEPS members. The ODRC representatives were briefed about the decisions taken in the meeting of BAPEPS. They were also asked to stay put in the Kosi region.

“After the assurance from the BAPEPS members, we have decided not to wind up our offices from the Kosi region,” an ODRC office-bearer told The Telegraph.

Due to dilly-dally approach of the BAPEPS, the ODRC had stopped its operations in the Kosi region from September 1 this year. It had been working in the area through the UNDP support and funds provided through other sources.