Dhaka hopeful of treaty with Delhi soon
Saturday, 1 May 2010
Water Resources Minister Ramesh Chandra Sen said Friday that Bangladesh was hopeful of singing the Teesta river water sharing treaty with India, reports BSS.
Preparations in this regard were on to hold a secretary-level meeting in Dhaka between Bangladesh and India soon, he said while talking to the news agency.
Mr Sen said the meeting would discuss in detail the draft proposals placed by India and Bangladesh in the last Joint River Commission (JRC) meeting held in New Delhi to prepare specific proposals for the water sharing treaty.
"The meeting in New Delhi decided that the next JRC meeting to be held in Dhaka would focus on the Teesta water sharing treaty," he said.
The minister referred to the possible catastrophic situation to be created in Rangpur, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Kurigram and Gaibandha districts if the Teesta water was not available there.
This was a serious issue and the Indian leadership would have to be sympathetic in this regard, he said. In the last JRC meeting in New Delhi, Bangladesh and India signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to conclude an interim treaty on the Teesta water sharing.
There was no JRC meeting between the two countries in five years after the minister-level meeting held in September 2005.
Dhaka and New Delhi agreed on water sharing during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's India visit in January this year. Hasina and her Indian counterpart Dr Manmohan Singh asked their concerned ministers to hold a JRC meeting within three months.
Both the countries have directed their respective water resources ministries to reach an interim agreement on the Teesta water sharing.
Preparations in this regard were on to hold a secretary-level meeting in Dhaka between Bangladesh and India soon, he said while talking to the news agency.
Mr Sen said the meeting would discuss in detail the draft proposals placed by India and Bangladesh in the last Joint River Commission (JRC) meeting held in New Delhi to prepare specific proposals for the water sharing treaty.
"The meeting in New Delhi decided that the next JRC meeting to be held in Dhaka would focus on the Teesta water sharing treaty," he said.
The minister referred to the possible catastrophic situation to be created in Rangpur, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Kurigram and Gaibandha districts if the Teesta water was not available there.
This was a serious issue and the Indian leadership would have to be sympathetic in this regard, he said. In the last JRC meeting in New Delhi, Bangladesh and India signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to conclude an interim treaty on the Teesta water sharing.
There was no JRC meeting between the two countries in five years after the minister-level meeting held in September 2005.
Dhaka and New Delhi agreed on water sharing during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's India visit in January this year. Hasina and her Indian counterpart Dr Manmohan Singh asked their concerned ministers to hold a JRC meeting within three months.
Both the countries have directed their respective water resources ministries to reach an interim agreement on the Teesta water sharing.