Relief camps on Bihar border The death toll in Bihar due to Saturday’s 7.9 magnitude earthquake mounted to 51 on Sunday amid reports of widespread damage to property and crops from various parts of the state. At least 173 persons were also injured in the massive temblor, according to a report by the disaster management department control room. A fresh tremor measuring 6.9 on the Richter Scale hit the state on Sunday. Chief minister Nitish Kumar spoke to Union home minister Rajnath Singh and offered to participate in the ongoing rescue operations in Nepal. He said he had already issued directives to his officials who are posted on the bordering districts of Nepal to make preparations to rescue stranded Indians from Nepal and help earthquake-stricken Nepalese by sending them ready-to-eat food packets. He said medical camps on the borders of Nepal would also be set up. “We have spoken to the Union home minister and have offered to provide all help in restoring electricity in Nepal and have decided to send several buses to Nepal so that our citizens stranded there could be rescued. We will send ready-to-eat food packets for earthquake-affected people of Nepal and all directions have been given to district magistrates who are posted near the borders of Nepal. I have also asked officials to arrange for free medical camps for people of Nepal,” the chief minister said. Bihar nestles at the foot of the Himalayas and always suffered shocks and destruction whenever Nepal was hit by a earthquake. The chief minister called an emergency meeting of the officials after the fresh tremors shook Patna and other parts of the state on Sunday. The sources said the chief minister was concerned about the continuous aftershocks and was taking stock of the situation personally. “Directives have been issued to the administration to remain vigil for at least 24 hours more and extend support and help to the people. I also appeal to the people to ignore all kind of rumours and not to get scared. I have directed ministers of my Cabinet to camp in their areas along with the officials and ensure people get all support from them,” Mr Kumar said after meeting with officials in Patna. He said, “I want to assure everyone that the state government will not leave the people of the state.” Despite all efforts to control the widespread panic created by fresh spate of tremors people left their houses and took refuge outside. “We didn’t sleep last night and even today we are too scared to remain in the house with the children,” Raj Dutt, a businessman in Patna whose house developed a crack after the aftershock that occurred Sunday afternoon, told this newspaper. In Siwan, another town hit by tremor, people perched themselves in parks. Similar kind of situation was seen in other places in Bihar where people remained outside their houses. “We will leave no stone unturned in reaching out to the people of the state. It’s our duty. The NDRF and SDRF have already been deployed and we are very alert and concerned. The situation is under control”, principal secretary, the disaster management department, said with a hope that death toll doesn’t climb up further. On the other hand the children welfare association decided to close all private schools for next couple of days “we have decided to suspend classes of all private schools for two days as parents kept calling us and requested us to close the schools. We don’t want to take any kind of risk with school going children”, Shamail Ahmed, President, Children welfare association said while talking to this newspaper on Sunday.