Kolkata: Bangladesh on Tuesday has once again raised the Teesta water issue and expressed hope that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will resolve the matter soon.
Speaking to the reporters on the sidelines of a seminar on ‘Inland Waterways Transport in India and Coastal Shipping Summit’ in Kolkata, Bangladesh shipping minister Shahjahan Khan said, “We are facing a lot of problem without the Teesta water. We are hopeful that the state CM will give the matter a second thought.”
Khan – who came to India on Monday - will be in Kolkata till May 26 and is likely to meet Mamata.
“Inland water transport between Bangladesh and India would lead to regional connectivity, effective transportation, increase employment opportunities of people, and also give more impetus to trade and commerce,” he said, adding that the two sub regions of India and Bangladesh were bonded by common history, culture and rich heritage.
“During 1996 to 2001 under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina there was an increase in the number of fleets, ferries and cargo vessels and from 2009 onwards there was an increase in the total number of dredgers. In order to strengthen bilateral relations, both countries agreed to adopt the standard operating procedure (SOP),” Khan said while expressing hope that soon Teesta water issue will be resolved by the Indian government.
On April 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised his counterpart Sheikh Hasina that he will resolve the Teesta issue soon. Soon after Modi’s assurance, Mamata met him and Hasina at Rashtrapati Bhawan and said there was not enough water in Teesta to share and suggested sharing water from Torsa.
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