National unity on Tipaimukh issue
Sunday, 16 August 2009
Syed Jamaluddin
Opposition leader Khaleda Zia has urged the Indian Govt. to scrap its plan on the Tipaimukh dam. She welcomed Indian Prime Minister's assuring his Bangladesh counterpart that New Delhi would not take any step regarding the dam that might affect Bangladesh. According to Khaleda Zia, if the project is cancelled, a large section of people in both the countries will be relieved of tension. Manmohan Singh's assurance came at a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the sidelines of the NAM summit in Egypt. Hasina has urged all to unite in efforts to ensure the country's interests with regard to Tipaimukh dam. She wanted to take a decision unitedly. Khaleda, on the other hand, asked the govt. to play a bold role to protect the national interest. She also asked the govt. not to bow down. Tipaimukh project is said to be synonymous with Farakkah.
The Indian side has not come forth publicly with any information or data-base regarding Tipaimukh. Any negotiation must be based on complete information on Tipaimukh. Unless this is done, not much can be done from the side of Dhaka. We cannot have a repeat of Farakka.
Through this project 1,500 megawatt electricity will be produced. Vast agricultural land will be brought under irrigation. Govt. view is that the problem may be resolved through consultation. Some experts believe that if Tipaimukh dam is constructed, the lives of people of 16 north-eastern districts will be affected. Moreover, Tipaimukh area is earthquake prone.
Unity is needed on this issue between the govt. and the opposition. It has been proposed by experts that India should be requested not to construct this dam. If the project is completed, there will be dangerous consequences for life, environment, crops, and fisheries. Tipaimukh is a national issue and the country should not be divided on this issue.
The water resources minister of Bangladesh recently said that the Tipaimukh dam can be beneficial for Bangladesh. If India and Bangladesh designed the project jointly keeping the needs of Bangladesh, then the project could bring limited benefits to Bangladesh. Since this is not the case and since India did not even inform Bangladesh about the project, there is no reason to believe that India is designing this project to help Bangladesh out.
India has already made progress towards the construction of the project. They have already built an approach road and a project office at the dam site, 210 kilometers upstream of the Barak river from Bangladesh border. The project aims at generating 1,500 megawatt of electricity.
India would not launch any project that would harm Bangladesh. This was stated by the head of parliamentary delegation that returned after a visit to the neighbouring country India. The delegation was convinced by India's assurances. The Indian officials provided the delegation with current hydrological data on the Tipaimukh project on the Barak river in Manipur. They say that there is a flood management component that will ensure more water flow in the Surma, the Kushiyara and the Meghna during lean season. The leader of the delegation said they will analyse the data they collected from India to see the impact on Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) did not name any MP for the delegation.
The leader of the parliamentary delegation sees no harm to Bangladesh from the construction of the dam, having been fully satisfied with India's no damage assurance. The delegation was not a technical mission and we are not sure about the basis of such assessment. In any case, a dam of any size invariably has an impact on the ecology and on the flow of water down-stream. Bangladesh has no definitive answers to the queries on the type and scope of impact of Tipai project on Bangladesh. The prime minister has rightly given a directive to set up an expert committee to study the project in detail to ascertain the nature and degree of the likely impact. Since it is a matter of serious public concern, the govt. should make public the data it has received so far.
The executive director of the Centre for Organisation, Research and Education (CORE) in Manipur during a recent visit to Dhaka said that environmental pressure groups in both Bangladesh and the Indian state of Manipur have been voicing strong concern over the potential impact of the planned Indian dam in down stream areas. According to her, the people of Manipur and other north eastern states are unhappy with the Indian govt's development approach in the region. Bangladesh should cooperate with Manipur and other areas in this regard. Much of the region, connected to the rest of India by a narrow strip known as Siliguri Corridor is ethnically and culturally different from the rest of India. The states have long accused New Delhi of ignoring the issues that concen them, plundering resources and doing little to improve their lives.
Long march was organised to protest India's planned construction of the Tipaimukh barrage on the Barak river in Manipur The long march started from the Central Shaheed Minar in the city after a brief rally. The long march was aimed at creating awareness among the people against the construction of the Tipaimukh dam as well as to form national unity on the issue. When the participants started marching towards the border in India, the police dispersed the long march towards Tipaimukh dam site. As the motorcade of the marchers started from the municipal town of Zakigaj, the police halted the caravan by putting barricades on the roads..
The prime minister called for national unity on Tipaimukh issue But we have no record of uniting on any issue. The opposition is for complete stoppage of the project whereas the govt. is in favour of discussion and negotiation. Two major parties will keep on arguing and India will silently go ahead with their project. India is in an advantageous position because the opinion in Bangladesh on Tipaimukh project is divided.
Opinion in Bangladesh is divided on all major issues with respect to India. India needs support from Bangladesh govt. to implement a number of projects such as Tipaimukh project, rail and road links to north eastern states, free trade agreement, motor vehicle agreement, transit, border trade, use of Chittagong and Mongla ports. India's friendly govt. in Bangladesh is too eager to provide such support. India will squeeze Bangladesh from all directions. They have taken aggressive pasture on maritime boundary. Our negotiators must identify the gains of Bangladesh in the above Indian projects/proposals before making any commitment. Our diplomats have a responsibility to guide our negotiators.
An Oxford professor wrote an article long ago on Pakistan-a house divided. Pakistanis criticised this professor for encouraging the break-up of Pakistan. Bangladesh can also be said to be a house divided.
It is feared that concessions to India may be given in the name of friendship without reciprocal benefits. Rail service to Kolkata and bus service to Agartala are losing concerns. Therefore, there is no complusion to undertake such projects. Water transit is also losing money. This means that we are subsidising the water transit enjoyed by India. Our govt. have to guard against such projects in future. Posterity will not forgive us for the failure to protect national interest.
The writer is an economist and columnist
Opposition leader Khaleda Zia has urged the Indian Govt. to scrap its plan on the Tipaimukh dam. She welcomed Indian Prime Minister's assuring his Bangladesh counterpart that New Delhi would not take any step regarding the dam that might affect Bangladesh. According to Khaleda Zia, if the project is cancelled, a large section of people in both the countries will be relieved of tension. Manmohan Singh's assurance came at a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the sidelines of the NAM summit in Egypt. Hasina has urged all to unite in efforts to ensure the country's interests with regard to Tipaimukh dam. She wanted to take a decision unitedly. Khaleda, on the other hand, asked the govt. to play a bold role to protect the national interest. She also asked the govt. not to bow down. Tipaimukh project is said to be synonymous with Farakkah.
The Indian side has not come forth publicly with any information or data-base regarding Tipaimukh. Any negotiation must be based on complete information on Tipaimukh. Unless this is done, not much can be done from the side of Dhaka. We cannot have a repeat of Farakka.
Through this project 1,500 megawatt electricity will be produced. Vast agricultural land will be brought under irrigation. Govt. view is that the problem may be resolved through consultation. Some experts believe that if Tipaimukh dam is constructed, the lives of people of 16 north-eastern districts will be affected. Moreover, Tipaimukh area is earthquake prone.
Unity is needed on this issue between the govt. and the opposition. It has been proposed by experts that India should be requested not to construct this dam. If the project is completed, there will be dangerous consequences for life, environment, crops, and fisheries. Tipaimukh is a national issue and the country should not be divided on this issue.
The water resources minister of Bangladesh recently said that the Tipaimukh dam can be beneficial for Bangladesh. If India and Bangladesh designed the project jointly keeping the needs of Bangladesh, then the project could bring limited benefits to Bangladesh. Since this is not the case and since India did not even inform Bangladesh about the project, there is no reason to believe that India is designing this project to help Bangladesh out.
India has already made progress towards the construction of the project. They have already built an approach road and a project office at the dam site, 210 kilometers upstream of the Barak river from Bangladesh border. The project aims at generating 1,500 megawatt of electricity.
India would not launch any project that would harm Bangladesh. This was stated by the head of parliamentary delegation that returned after a visit to the neighbouring country India. The delegation was convinced by India's assurances. The Indian officials provided the delegation with current hydrological data on the Tipaimukh project on the Barak river in Manipur. They say that there is a flood management component that will ensure more water flow in the Surma, the Kushiyara and the Meghna during lean season. The leader of the delegation said they will analyse the data they collected from India to see the impact on Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) did not name any MP for the delegation.
The leader of the parliamentary delegation sees no harm to Bangladesh from the construction of the dam, having been fully satisfied with India's no damage assurance. The delegation was not a technical mission and we are not sure about the basis of such assessment. In any case, a dam of any size invariably has an impact on the ecology and on the flow of water down-stream. Bangladesh has no definitive answers to the queries on the type and scope of impact of Tipai project on Bangladesh. The prime minister has rightly given a directive to set up an expert committee to study the project in detail to ascertain the nature and degree of the likely impact. Since it is a matter of serious public concern, the govt. should make public the data it has received so far.
The executive director of the Centre for Organisation, Research and Education (CORE) in Manipur during a recent visit to Dhaka said that environmental pressure groups in both Bangladesh and the Indian state of Manipur have been voicing strong concern over the potential impact of the planned Indian dam in down stream areas. According to her, the people of Manipur and other north eastern states are unhappy with the Indian govt's development approach in the region. Bangladesh should cooperate with Manipur and other areas in this regard. Much of the region, connected to the rest of India by a narrow strip known as Siliguri Corridor is ethnically and culturally different from the rest of India. The states have long accused New Delhi of ignoring the issues that concen them, plundering resources and doing little to improve their lives.
Long march was organised to protest India's planned construction of the Tipaimukh barrage on the Barak river in Manipur The long march started from the Central Shaheed Minar in the city after a brief rally. The long march was aimed at creating awareness among the people against the construction of the Tipaimukh dam as well as to form national unity on the issue. When the participants started marching towards the border in India, the police dispersed the long march towards Tipaimukh dam site. As the motorcade of the marchers started from the municipal town of Zakigaj, the police halted the caravan by putting barricades on the roads..
The prime minister called for national unity on Tipaimukh issue But we have no record of uniting on any issue. The opposition is for complete stoppage of the project whereas the govt. is in favour of discussion and negotiation. Two major parties will keep on arguing and India will silently go ahead with their project. India is in an advantageous position because the opinion in Bangladesh on Tipaimukh project is divided.
Opinion in Bangladesh is divided on all major issues with respect to India. India needs support from Bangladesh govt. to implement a number of projects such as Tipaimukh project, rail and road links to north eastern states, free trade agreement, motor vehicle agreement, transit, border trade, use of Chittagong and Mongla ports. India's friendly govt. in Bangladesh is too eager to provide such support. India will squeeze Bangladesh from all directions. They have taken aggressive pasture on maritime boundary. Our negotiators must identify the gains of Bangladesh in the above Indian projects/proposals before making any commitment. Our diplomats have a responsibility to guide our negotiators.
An Oxford professor wrote an article long ago on Pakistan-a house divided. Pakistanis criticised this professor for encouraging the break-up of Pakistan. Bangladesh can also be said to be a house divided.
It is feared that concessions to India may be given in the name of friendship without reciprocal benefits. Rail service to Kolkata and bus service to Agartala are losing concerns. Therefore, there is no complusion to undertake such projects. Water transit is also losing money. This means that we are subsidising the water transit enjoyed by India. Our govt. have to guard against such projects in future. Posterity will not forgive us for the failure to protect national interest.
The writer is an economist and columnist