Fast request: Nitish (top) and APJ Abdul Kalam

Patna, May 24: Nobel laureate Amartya Sen-led interim governing body of the international university coming up at Nalanda would start functioning by July this year. Chief minister Nitish Kumar said this today.

Nitish, who flew to New Delhi this afternoon, met former President APJ Abdul Kalam, the first visitor of the university.

Meeting Kalam, Nitish discussed the progress of the work to get the institution coming up on the ruins of the ancient seat of learning at Nalanda functional. The chief minister urged the former president to hasten the pace of the varsity’s work.

The central government has notified the university.

The chief minister also met the Union water resources minister, Salman Khurshid, and had a discussion on nine points for dealing with floods recurring in the state.

What warranted upon the chief minister to meet Kurshid on the issue was the monsoon knocking at the door of the state.

The issues discussed between Nitish and Khurshid included the identification and notification of the flood- prone Bihar districts and acceptance of the recommendations of the committee set up for the same, interlinking of river basins in the state, building and activation of the pilot channel in downstream of the Kosi barrage, simplification of procedures while sanctioning new schemes for flood control and cent per cent funding by the central government for flood protection scheme in the state.

The chief minister told Khurshid that the main reason for the floods in Bihar was uncontrolled discharge of water from Nepal and Tibet. Nitish urged the Union water resources minister to arrange a dialogue between Nepal and India soon to find out a solution to the problem.

He requested the Union minister to help Bihar de-silt the Ganga, Kosi and Gandak rivers so that they could be made navigational.

Restriction of the use of the Ganga waters in upstream states and afforestation and building of check dams in the Kosi’s catchment areas in Nepal were also discussed between the chief minister and the Union water resources minister.