More than four years, after it was proposed by the Manmohan Singh Government in 2011, India seems to enter the Teesta river water-sharing pact with Bangladesh, according to sources in the know.
The deadlock was ended with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee deciding to walk the talk with the Narendra Modi Government in the Centre.
BackgroundWhile details of the proposed deal are not known, sources confirm movements both in Kolkata and Delhi to clear the deck for the international pact that should bring a major political relief to the Sheikh Hasina Government in Dhaka.
India proposed implementing the land-swap deal (Land Border Agreement) and the Teesta water-sharing pact with Dhaka, in 2011, before the Sheikh Hasina Government sought re-election in 2014.
Of the two, water sharing was politically more important to Dhaka.
Teesta, originating in Sikkim, flows through the northern parts of West Bengal before entering Bangladesh. The river is a major source of irrigation to the paddy growing greater Rangpur region of Bangladesh.
Banerjee was agreeable to sharing water at the rate of 25,000 cusec up from the then daily discharge (from the Indian side) at 23,000 cusec. However, just before former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was scheduled to visit Dhaka to ink the pack, Delhi proposed releasing 33,000 cusec.
In a last-minute decision, the infuriated Banerjee refused to be a party to the deal causing national embarrassment.
Political resistanceSingh saved the day by signing a protocol to the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement (LBA). But the land-swap deal could not be implemented due to resistance from both Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and the BJP. But all that seems to be a thing of the past now.
LBA is now a certainty with all political parties unanimously batting for due constitutional amendment. The Bill will be placed for ratification of Parliament, most probably after the recess between March 21 and April 19.