NEW DELHI, Nov 7: India today expressed its eagerness to sign an interim water sharing agreement with Bangladesh on Teesta river water-sharing which has faced intense opposition from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
During a meeting with Bangladesh Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury, Water Resources Minister Harish Rawat reiterated India’s commitment to signing the agreement on river Teesta and added New Delhi is pursuing the matter with “stakeholders” rigorously and is hopeful of resolving the issue soon.
The interim agreement will be for a period of 15 years, following which a long-term agreement could be reached based on fresh measurements on water availability.
The Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal has been staunchly opposing the water sharing agreement on Teesta due to which the two countries could not sign an agreement during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Dhaka in September last year.
West Bengal is not willing to part with the quantity of water Dhaka has been demanding, leading to an impasse.
Besides Teesta, the two also discussed irrigation projects in Bangladesh, Tipaimukh hydro-electricity project, dredging of rivers and other issues of cooperation.
Rawat also agreed to Bangladesh’s suggestion to help it build irrigation facilities in the South of the country. It could also help Bangladesh in conservation of ground water to prevent increasing salinity in the coastal region.
On the request of Bangladesh Minister to consider supply of amphibian dredgers, Rawat assured cooperation. (PTI)
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