Gopalpur (Bhagalpur), June 23: Principal secretary of state water resources department Afzal Amanullah today suspended five engineers for not completing the repair of eight spurs on the Ganga riverbed near Gopalpur block of Naugachia sub-division.

He also warned the contractor of a Patna-based construction company of not refunding the security deposit of Rs 15 crore if the work is not completed by July 10. Amanullah, who rushed from Patna to Naugachia yesterday, admitted that the work could not be completed on time because there had been serious lapses on the part of the officials. Today, he inspected the repair works on the river embankments and asked the officials concerned to finish the works before July 10. “We will somehow manage to complete the repair work along the Kosi banks this time but it seems that it will be difficult to complete the work on the Ganga on time,” he said.

On how the soil erosion would be checked, he said: “The work along the Ganga would be conducted on a war footing. The government has spent around Rs 84 crore for the construction and repair work of the eight spurs on the river but the outcome is still zero.”