Gaya, Aug 21: The Centre has given a conditional go-ahead to a proposal for rejuvenating the Falgu/Niranjana river through desilting and allied measures, with the project awaiting No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the Bihar and Jharkhand governments.
The proposal was put forward by Gaya MP and Union MSME Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and discussed at a meeting in New Delhi on August 20, chaired by Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari. Union Water Resources Minister C R Patil and Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav also attended the meeting.
The river is known as Niranjana in its southern stretch and Falgu in the north.
Gadkari accepted Manjhi’s long-standing demand but made implementation conditional on the two state governments issuing the required NOCs.
Once the clearances are secured, the first phase of the proposed 300-km riverine project will be undertaken by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
The project envisages extensive desilting and removal of accumulated earth from the riverbed. The excavated material is proposed to be used in highway construction, linking the river rejuvenation programme with infrastructure development.
Manjhi has also favoured construction of pathways along both sides of the riverbed as part of the broader development plan.
The Falgu is predominantly a dry river, with a significant portion of its water flowing underground. The proposed rejuvenation measures seek to make the river “almost perennial” by improving groundwater recharge in catchment areas, constructing check dams and cleaning traditional canals.
Experts from IIT Roorkee made a presentation on the proposed measures during the meeting.
The discussions were also attended by senior officials from the Centre, Bihar government and NHAI, including Union Water Resources Department Secretary Archana Verma, NHAI Member (Projects) Anil Chaudhary, Bihar Water Resources Department Additional Chief Secretary Anand Kishore, Department Secretary Chandrashekhar Singh and Revenue and Land Reforms Secretary Jai Singh.
The proposed project will now require close coordination between Bihar and Jharkhand, with the issuance of NOCs emerging as the key next step before implementation can begin.
If cleared, the initiative could combine river restoration, groundwater recharge and infrastructure development in an effort to revive the largely dry Falgu/Niranjana and provide it with a more sustained flow.
