It\\\'s India\\\'s duty to ensure fair share of Teesta waters: Hasina

Bangladesh needs Teesta River water and it is India’s duty to ensure a fair share of it, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said. ‘It’s the Indian government’s responsibility. This is not my headache, but theirs. Talks will continue. I need that water,’ she told the press on Saturday. Replying to a query during a media briefing at Ganabhaban, Hasina hinted at other options, if a treaty was not signed. ‘We are the lower riparian country. The water has to come. If it (the deal) does not happen, then we have alternatives,’ she said. The Sheikh Hasina-led government began initiatives after assuming office in 2009 to ink a deal on Teesta water-sharing but the treaty was botched at the last minute by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee despite New Delhi’s efforts to see it through. The prime minister said she hoped there would be no problem in taking bilateral relations forward with the new Indian government. Hasina said at the media briefing that she had dealt with five Indian prime ministers in her three terms in office. ‘We worked, maintained good relations with them, and solved many issues,’ she said. ‘We sorted out the long-pending issue concerning the sharing of Ganges waters. We have reached a consensus on the Tipamukh dam,’ she added, according to bdnews24.com.