West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday warned prime minister Narendra Modi of waging movement across the country if Teesta water was shared with Bangladesh ignoring West Bengal, according to reports published by different media outlets in India.
Mamata made the warning in the backdrop of recent talks between Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina, during the latter鈥檚 recent visit to New Delhi, over sharing of Ganga and Teesta waters where the West Bengal CM was not in vited to attend.
NDTV on Monday reported that the West Bengal CM had written to Modi, objecting to the talks on water sharing between the Centre and Bangladesh.
Turning down the Centre鈥檚 proposal for sharing of Teesta water, she wrote, 鈥楽uch unilateral deliberations and discussions without consultation and the opinion of the state government is neither acceptable nor desirable鈥�.
鈥業 came to understand that the Government of India is in the process of renewing the India-Bangladesh Farakka Treaty (1996) which is to expire in 2026. It is a treaty which delineates of sharing of water between. Bangladesh and India and as you are aware it, has huge implications for the people of West Bengal,鈥� the report quoted Mamata鈥檚 letter to PM Modi.
The people of Bengal, she added, would be the 鈥榳orst sufferers鈥� of such treaties.
鈥楾he state of West Bengal has cooperated with Bangladesh on several issues in the past,鈥� Ms Banerjee added, pointing to the exchange of India-Bangladesh enclaves, Indo-Bangladesh Railway Line and bus services. 鈥楬owever, water is very precious and is the lifeline of the people. We cannot compromise on such a sensitive issue which has severe and adverse implication on the people,鈥� she added.
Citing the proposed sharing the waters of Teesta, a river in north Bengal, she said that the health of Teesta on the Indian side has 鈥榮uffered鈥� much already due to the construction of several hydropower projects in Sikkim and deforestation in the river鈥檚 upper catchment area, and now there is not enough water to share.
鈥業t seems that in the meeting, Government of India has proposed a bilateral cooperation between India and Bangladesh for restoration of Teesta in Bangladesh. I am surprised by the fact that no concrete steps have been taken by the ministry of Jal Shakti to restore the river in its original form and health on the India side,鈥� she wrote.
鈥楧ue to the reasons stated above, water flow in Teesta has gone down over the years and it is estimated that if any water is shared with Bangladesh, lakhs of people in north Bengal will get severely impacted鈥� therefore it is not feasible to share Teesta water with Bangladesh,鈥� she added.
