JRC meet on Teesta water sharing begins today

Published on 4th jan 2010

JRC meet on Teesta water sharing begins today
DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT
Indo-Bangla secretary-level talks of the Joint Rivers Commission will start this morning in the city in a bid to resolve the long-standing issue of the Teesta water sharing with India during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's New Delhi visit this month.
Indian water resources secretary U N Panjiar arrived in the city last night with six other delegates for the three-day talks, an Indian high commission official told The Independent last night.
Among others, members of the delegation are, Indian water resources ministry officials SP Kakran, chairman of central water commission A K Bajaj, principal secretary of Tripura PWD UTC Singh.
Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources Sheikh Wahiduzzaman will lead the Bangladesh delegation in the meeting at the state guest house Meghna, while his Indian counterpart will lead the Indian delegation.
According to the agenda prepared by the JRC, the two sides would discuss dredging of the common river Ichhamati, irrigating and supplying potable water to Indian people from Feni river, river bank protection of the common rivers and preparing drafts on sharing the Teesta water.
Earlier in the first week of last month, experts committee of JRC met in Dhaka and discussed water sharing of the common rivers. Both the sides also informally shared the draft agreement on the Teesta water sharing but there was no decision on the agreement.
Foreign ministry sources said Bangladesh also handed India the draft of an agreement on the Teesta water sharing in 2005. The draft proposed that Bangladesh and India each would get 40 per cent water of the Teesta and 20 per cent water would go to the Bay of Bengal for maintaining the channel of the river.
However, India did not accept Bangladesh's proposal. Dhaka is going to propose again equal sharing of the Teesta water.