PURNEA, Sept. 3 -- Hundreds of residents in and around Raghopur are being evacuated from their homes due to severe erosion caused by the Ganges, officials said, adding that many have alleged they were forcibly displaced citing safety concerns. The district administration has responded to the crisis by establishing community kitchens for those affected. 16 blocks of Bhagalpur, Munger and Khagaria are badly affected by floods and erosion caused by the Ganga river, officials said. Water Resources Department (WRD) secretary Chandrashekhar Singh, who reached the erosion site at Raghopur, under Kharik block, on Wednesday said, "We have been carrying out flood fighting work round the clock to protect railway embankment. We have adequate resources and manpower." Meanwhile, the district administration has started relief camps with community kitchens. "There are four community kitchens in Kharik. There are a total of 9 community kitchens operational in Bhagalpur to provide food and drinking water to the evacuated flood victims. Bhagalpur district magistrate (DM) Alankrita Pandey has appealed to the people to follow the instructions issued by the district administration. The DM cautioned the people against rumours and appealed to the people to rely only on the instructions of administration. She assured the flood victims of all possible assistance at relief camps. Flood victims who lost their homes to the erosion accused the administration of a delayed response. "The work should have started in January," they said, alleging corruption in the flood-fighting operations. Erosion has also reached critical levels in parts of Bhagalpur's Sabour block. Anjana Devi, a resident of Raghopur, stated that she has lost both her home and her flour mill to the encroaching river. Shakuntala Devi said, "My daughter's house has already been eroded and now she and her family have no where to go." She demanded a ringbund around the village, stating,"In coming years the village (Raghopur) will wipe out its existence." Floods and erosion have severely impacted six blocks in Bhagalpur, five in Munger, and four in Khagaria. For many people, it's not only temporary displacement, they have lost tracts of their agricultural lands due to erosions because of surged rivers. The blocks badly affected by floods and erosion are Kharik, Naugachhia, Bihpur, Gopalpur, Pirpainti, Nathnagar and Sabour blocks of Bhagalpur, Munger Sadar, Baiyapur, Jamalpur, Asarganj, Dharhara blocks of Munger district and Parbatta, Gogri, Khagaria Sadar and Alouli blocks of Khagaria. Bihar deputy chief minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said the situation in Raghopur was "challenging and difficult," with severe erosion taking place along the Ganga....