Patna, Sep 10: Bihar Disaster Management Minister Ratnesh Sada on Thursday pulled up a cook after finding an excessive amount of water in dal being served to flood-affected residents at a community kitchen in Katihar district.
Sada was inspecting relief arrangements in flood-hit Manihari block when he reached the community kitchen at Azampur Gola in Ward No. 9. Residents had reportedly complained about the quality of food being served there, following which the minister personally inspected the meal.
After taking dal from a container and examining it, Sada expressed displeasure over its consistency and questioned the cook about the preparation.
“De denge… dehe par dhaar denge, samajh nahi hai tumko (You’ll get it from me, you don’t understand),” the minister was heard telling the cook.
Sada subsequently summoned the local circle officer (CO), who is responsible for overseeing relief arrangements at the local level, including community kitchens.
Questioning the officer about the food, Sada asked, “Aise banta hai khana (Is this how food is prepared)?”
The CO told the minister that the community kitchen had started functioning only that day. Sada, however, questioned whether this justified the amount of water in the dal and also asked officials to show him the rice being served to the flood victims.
The Katihar District Magistrate, who was present during the inspection, directed the CO to increase the quantity of dal being provided to the affected residents.
The minister later inspected the rice and other food items before visiting other flood-affected areas, including Naya Tola in Ward No. 1 and Signal Tola in Ward No. 8. He interacted with residents and reviewed the availability of essential relief facilities.
Sada said relief measures had been extended across the four flood-affected blocks of Katihar, including polythene kits, community kitchens, animal fodder, toilets, clean drinking water and hand pumps.
He assured residents that the number of community kitchens would be increased wherever required and there would be no shortage of essential relief facilities.
The minister also welcomed the deployment of boat ambulances in flood-affected areas and thanked the district administration for ensuring their availability.
Describing the floods as a natural disaster beyond anyone’s control, Sada stressed the need for close coordination among authorities to ensure that affected residents do not face difficulties.
The inspection also highlighted the importance of effective monitoring at the local level to ensure that relief measures announced by the government are properly implemented and reach flood victims without disruption.
