‘Delhi’s reluctance to offer Bangladesh power from ONGC’s Tripura unit may cost North-East dearly’

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar feels Delhi’s dithering to offer 100 MW to Bangladesh from the 726.6 MW ONGC Tripura Power Company (OTPC), goes against the spirit of bi-lateral relations and may block the future growth of the natural gas rich region

“Friendship has to be mutually beneficial,” he told Business Line reiterating that Bangladesh played a crucial role in helping India set up a ₹4,000-crore power plant. The move triggered an additional investment of ₹6,000 crore in gas exploration and distribution in the State.

Bangladesh amended a transit treaty to allow India carry heavy power gears, each weighing over 300 tonne, through its territories to the OTPC project site. In return of this gesture they wanted to buy 100 MW of power from the project. Tripura, which is now planning expansion of power capacities and setting up of other gas-based industries, is keen to enhance the scope of cooperation and even offered power from its allocations.

The State also proposed easy evacuation of power by laying a 9 km connectivity from Sonamura in Tripura to Comilla district town in Bangladesh.

But the initiative did not find much favour with Delhi. The proposal was dumped citing technical and commercial hurdles in transmission. But Sarkar is critical of such arguments. “We already have an agreement for cross-border power trade (through West Bengal), extending it for a mere 100 MW should not pose any great challenge. It will help Tripura add more gas-based capacities and serve national interest,” he said. He is apprehensive that Delhi’s resistance might cost Tripura and the North East dearly as Dhaka may drag its feet in either allowing further movement of heavy equipment through its territories or evacuation of industrial products through the Chittagong Port. Sarkar’s worries are not unfounded. The Prime Ministers of both the nation entered a treaty for wider regional cooperation in 2010.

Though India offered a $1 billion line of credit and initiated electricity trade, the nation failed to implement the key promises of Teesta water-sharing accord and land boundary agreement – the major political irritants in improving ties. Though OTPC power sharing was not part of the agreement, a goodwill gesture from India could have helped settle dusts in Dhaka. But, Delhi had put a spoke in the wheel by taking recourse of technical issues.

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