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NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday hit out at the central govt and conveyed strong reservations for not involving her in the water sharing talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangaldeshi counterpart PM Sheikh Hasina.
Flagging discontent over the Teesta water sharing agreement being discussed without her presence and Bengal’s consent, the TMC supremo said, “Such unilateral deliberations and discussions without consultation and the opinion of the state government are neither acceptable nor desirable.”
Acknowledging India and Kolkata’s deep economic, geographical and cultural ties with Bangladesh, Mamata Banerjee in the letter addressed to PM said, ” I love and respect people of Bangladesh and always wish for their well being.The state of West Bengal has cooperated with Bangladesh on several issues in the past. However water is the precious life line of the people of Bengal. We cannot compromise on such a sensitive issue which has severe and adverse implications on the people. People of the West Bengal will be the worst sufferers due to the impact of such agreements.”
“I came to understand that Government of India is in the process of renewing the Indo Bangladesh Farakka Treaty (1996) which is to expire in 2026. It is a Treaty which delineates the principles of sharing of water between Bangladesh and India and as you are aware it has huge implications for the people of West Bengal for maintaining their livelihood and that the water which is diverted at the Farakka Barrage helps in maintaining the navigability of the Kolkata port,” she added in the letter.
She also said in her letter that she had flagged the issue multiple times in multiple letters in the past.
She urged the central govt to take Bengal’s reservation to the water sharing agreement seriously and not proceed further without the consent of the state govt. The intrest of the people of West Bengal is paramount and should not be compromised, she said.
During a recent bilateral meeting between PM Modi and Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina, the leaders discussed the Teesta River’s conservation and the renewal of the 1996 Ganga Water Treaty. Following the meeting, PM Modi announced that a technical team would soon visit Bangladesh to discuss the “conservation and management of the Teesta River.”
Under the agreement, India plans to construct a large reservoir and related infrastructure for Teesta water management. This development has sparked discontent from Mamata Banerjee, who has long opposed the water-sharing deal. She alleges that the Farakka barrage contributes to erosion, siltation, and floods in her state.
Previously in February 2022, Mamata Banerjee flagged concerns and wrote to PM Modi addressing land erosion issues along the Ganga River, significantly impacting the Malda, Murshidabad, and Nadia districts in West Bengal.
Banerjee pointed out that erosion had become more severe since the construction of the Farakka Barrage, resulting in substantial loss of public property and agricultural land. She urged the reconsideration of the centre’s 2017 decision to withdraw the extended jurisdiction of the Farakka Barrage Project Authority (FBPA) for protecting the riverbank from further erosion
Flagging discontent over the Teesta water sharing agreement being discussed without her presence and Bengal’s consent, the TMC supremo said, “Such unilateral deliberations and discussions without consultation and the opinion of the state government are neither acceptable nor desirable.”
Acknowledging India and Kolkata’s deep economic, geographical and cultural ties with Bangladesh, Mamata Banerjee in the letter addressed to PM said, ” I love and respect people of Bangladesh and always wish for their well being.The state of West Bengal has cooperated with Bangladesh on several issues in the past. However water is the precious life line of the people of Bengal. We cannot compromise on such a sensitive issue which has severe and adverse implications on the people. People of the West Bengal will be the worst sufferers due to the impact of such agreements.”
“I came to understand that Government of India is in the process of renewing the Indo Bangladesh Farakka Treaty (1996) which is to expire in 2026. It is a Treaty which delineates the principles of sharing of water between Bangladesh and India and as you are aware it has huge implications for the people of West Bengal for maintaining their livelihood and that the water which is diverted at the Farakka Barrage helps in maintaining the navigability of the Kolkata port,” she added in the letter.
She also said in her letter that she had flagged the issue multiple times in multiple letters in the past.
She urged the central govt to take Bengal’s reservation to the water sharing agreement seriously and not proceed further without the consent of the state govt. The intrest of the people of West Bengal is paramount and should not be compromised, she said.
During a recent bilateral meeting between PM Modi and Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina, the leaders discussed the Teesta River’s conservation and the renewal of the 1996 Ganga Water Treaty. Following the meeting, PM Modi announced that a technical team would soon visit Bangladesh to discuss the “conservation and management of the Teesta River.”
Under the agreement, India plans to construct a large reservoir and related infrastructure for Teesta water management. This development has sparked discontent from Mamata Banerjee, who has long opposed the water-sharing deal. She alleges that the Farakka barrage contributes to erosion, siltation, and floods in her state.
Previously in February 2022, Mamata Banerjee flagged concerns and wrote to PM Modi addressing land erosion issues along the Ganga River, significantly impacting the Malda, Murshidabad, and Nadia districts in West Bengal.
Banerjee pointed out that erosion had become more severe since the construction of the Farakka Barrage, resulting in substantial loss of public property and agricultural land. She urged the reconsideration of the centre’s 2017 decision to withdraw the extended jurisdiction of the Farakka Barrage Project Authority (FBPA) for protecting the riverbank from further erosion
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