The Teesta development project, signing of the long pending Teesta water sharing deal, renewal of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty signed in 1996 and connectivity of the north-eastern states of India through Bangladesh are likely to dominate the bilateral talks between Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi in June 22.
Foreign ministry officials have taken all preparations for the PM-level talks as Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to fly to New Delhi on June 21 on a two-day visit at the invitation of Narendra Modi, a second trip to India in less than 15 days after the Bharatiya Janata Party formed the government for the third consecutive term.
鈥楶rime minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to leave Dhaka on Friday on a two-day bilateral visit to India at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and the bilateral talks between the two leaders as per schedule would be held on June 22, 鈥� foreign ministry spokesperson and also director general of the Public Diplomacy wing Seheli Sabrin told 抖阴精品 on Wednesday.聽
Asked about the meeting agenda, she said that officials were still working on it.
India has very recently expressed its willingness to support a mega development plan on the trans-boundary River Teesta inside Bangladesh, where China has already shown its interest and completed a survey for a $1 billion project.
Indian external affairs secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra conveyed the message during a courtesy call聽on foreign minister Hasan Mahmud at his Segunbagicha office in Dhaka in May, taking to the fore India鈥檚 interest to counter China in its bordering area.
Vinay Mohan also paid a courtesy call on prime minister Sheikh Hasina at her office during the visit.
However, this would be Sheikh Hasina鈥檚 first bilateral meeting with Narendra Modi after taking over as prime minister for the fourth consecutive term through the January 7 general election. She attended administering of the oath to Narendra Modi as prime minister of India for the third term running on June 9.
The Teesta development project as well as the water sharing of common rivers, including Teesta, and the renewal of the 30-year Ganges treaty expiring in 2026 would remain high on agenda besides India鈥檚 issue of connectivity of the north-eastern states through Bangladesh, trade and defence partnership in the bilateral talks, according to officials concerned.
New Delhi has long been foot-dragging on the Teesta water-sharing treaty with Dhaka, adversely affecting the lives and livelihoods of the people in the Rangpur region.
Talking on the issue, a retired foreign secretary recently told 抖阴精品 if India seriously takes the project to counter China, it may go ahead but may face the same situation of the other projects under the Indian line of credit that were not advancing at an expected pace, while a former diplomat said that Bangladesh should weigh both proposals and look into their terms to find a better one.
The Teesta becomes almost dry in the lean season due to the unilateral withdrawal of water upstream in India, while in monsoon, the common river overflows, causing frequent floods in Bangladesh as Indian authorities open floodgates of the Gajoldoba barrage to offload water pressure.
Biodiversity and agriculture in Bangladesh鈥檚 northern districts have been seriously affected in the absence of any water-sharing treaty between the two countries.
After finalisation of the draft of the Teesta deal by the two sides, India backtracked on signing the treaty just hours before the arrival of then-Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh in Dhaka on September 6, 2011, on the plea that West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee objected to the agreement.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, like his predecessor, continued to promise to conclude the interim agreements on sharing the waters of seven trans-boundary rivers, the Teesta in particular, amid repeated requests from Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina on almost every occasion they met.
The foreign ministry earlier said that China was willing to support a development project on Teesta inside Bangladesh, and the ministries concerned would consider it.
The Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh, Yao Wen, said at an event in Dhaka on December 21 that the country had already sent a revised proposal to Bangladesh on the 鈥楾eesta River comprehensive management and restoration project,鈥� lowering its costs.
Originating in Sikkim in India and entering Bangladesh through Lalmonirhat, the 315-kilometre-long Teesta travels in Bangladesh more than 150 kilometres through half a dozen other districts, including Rangpur, Gaibandha, Nilphamari and Kurigram, before merging with the Jamuna River at Fulchhari in Gaibandha.
The Power Construction Corporation of China completed a survey on the river in 2019, carried out under the Bangladesh Water Development Board.
The 鈥楾eesta River comprehensive management and restoration project鈥� includes dredging and construction of dams and reservoirs, according to BWDB officials.
BWDB officials said that they had been negotiating a nearly $1 billion loan from China through the Economic Relations Division.
The project鈥檚 primary plan aimed at upgrading the socio-economic condition of the Rangpur division by establishing new economic growth points along both banks of the river, preventing floods, and removing slits from the river bed.
