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BSS-19
BANGLADESH-INDIA-RIVERS
India expects to finalise deals on 7 common rivers by 2020
DHAKA, March 2, 2020 (BSS) – Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla today said New Delhi was expected to finalise proposed deals with Bangladesh on seven common rivers excepting the Teesta by the yearend.
“We need to expedite harmonization these (water flow) data (of seven rivers) so that water sharing can be finalize as early as possible . . . possibly within this year,” he said while addressing as the keynote speaker at a seminar on Bangladesh-India relations at a Dhaka hotel.
But he appeared to be uncertain about the deal on major Teesta river saying an agreement on water sharing of this particular stream could only be finalized on the basis on consensus of all the stakeholders, an apparent reference to India’s West Bengal state.
Shringla, who previously served as Indian high commissioner in Dhaka, however, said the Indian side was working on concluding the process of the agreement as early as possible.
“We know this is an emotive issue both side of the border … but there is no diminution of the commitment of our government,” he told the seminar joined as the chief guest by Bangladesh Prime Minister’s international affairs adviser Professor Dr Gawher Rizvi.
On August last, Bangladesh and Indian agreed on preparing a framework or interim water-sharing agreements on seven rivers — Manu, Muhuri, Khowai, Gumti, Dharla, Feni and Dudhkumar.
Bangladesh International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) and Indian High Commission here jointly organized the today’s seminar titled “Bangladesh and India: A Promising Future where the Indian foreign secretary. who arrived today in his maiden two-day visit here, gave the keynote speech.
Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das and BIISS Chairman Fazlul Karim also spoke.
The Indian foreign secretary said India and Bangladesh recognize there is ample room for progress on each of the rivers that both the neighbours share while serious dialogue has resumed between the officials responsible for water sharing matter since August 2019.
“Let me assure our friends here that we remain committed to finding the best possible solutions to sharing scarcities and hardships fairly during the dry season,” he said.
He said good arrangements to share waters of the 54 transboundary rivers in fair and environmentally sustainable manner lies in broader national interests of the two nations.
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