Draft paper on Teesta deal likely during Sheikh Hasinas visit
India and Bangladesh may go for a draft document or paper on sharing water from river Teesta during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas visit next month, The Economic Times reported yesterday.
The Indian newspaper said that the negotiations between the two countries on sharing its waters have remained inconclusive.
Officials concerned in India hinted that a formal agreement may not be ready during Sheikh Hasinas April 7-10 visit, but a draft paper could be agreed upon when she meets her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on April 8.
This could lead to a formal agreement at a later stage, ahead of general elections in Bangladesh in January 2019.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas upcoming India visit has come under the spotlight with rising expectations that there will be forward movement on the pending Teesta water-sharing issue.
Fuelling hopes of a final agreement is the BJPs landslide win in Uttar Pradesh, a verdict seen buttressing any bold move Modi may contemplate vis--vis Indias neighbours, said The Economic Times.
Identifying the support of the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal as the key to the implementation of any water-sharing deal on river Teesta, which flows through the state, The Economic Times said that there are indications that Banerjee might be invited to meet Hasina in New Delhi along with the chief ministers of four other states that border Bangladesh
It is to be noted that Banerjee has been opposing this deal saying it will rob the state of its share of water. While both governments are silent on the issue,.
The Teesta issue has been hanging fire since September 2011, mainly due to Banerjees stiff opposition to the treaty. India maintains it is trying to work out a consensus with the West Bengal government on the issue.
