Tuesday, June 25, 2024
Year : 2, Issue: 25
Dhaka Desk: Bangladesh will select either China or India’s proposal for the Teesta River rejuvenation and management mega-project depending on whichever is most beneficial, says Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
However, she noted that, “If India tackles our Teesta Project, then all the problems will be resolved. Doesn’t that make things easier?”
The premier made the remarks at a press conference at the Gonobhaban on Tuesday regarding her recent two-day state visit to India. The Teesta issue came up in several questions during the presser.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a joint press conference with his Bangladeshi counterpart on Saturday that his government had decided to open talks at the technical level on the renewal of the 1996 Ganges River water-sharing agreement. India will also send a technical team to Bangladesh soon to discuss the conservation and management of the Teesta River.
The interest from India comes as Bangladesh was set to finalise China’s financing of the Teesta Master Plan. It was suggested that a decision on the matter could come during Hasina’s visit to Beijing in July.
Media reports said that Hasina asked for China’s support on the project during a visit to Beijing in July 2019. The BBC reported at that time that in addition to the construction of infrastructure for the management of the banks of the river, the Teesta Project would include various types of infrastructure to control floods and eliminate water shortages in summer.
Beijing submitted a formal project proposal costing around $1 billion as New Delhi expressed concerns about Dhaka giving projects to Chinese companies. The proposal was to be discussed at Hasina’s upcoming visit to China.
Vinay Mohan Kwatra, India’s foreign secretary, spoke of the country’s interest in financing the Teesta Project when he visited Dhaka last month.
However, The Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee has renewed her objections on the matter.
