Leaving behind the controversy over the proposed Teesta water-sharing agreement between India and Bangladesh, the West Bengal Chief Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee, on Wednesday said that the State government has constituted an expert committee to assess water availability issues before the next level of discussion starts between the two countries.
Following a meeting with the Bangladesh Foreign Minister, Ms Dipu Moni, at Writers' Buildings on Wednesday, Ms Banerjee announced the formation of a committee headed by river expert Mr Kalyan Rudra. Further discussions on the water sharing agreement between the two countries will follow after the submission of the expert committee report on the matter.
“We have formed an expert committee and are awaiting the submission of its report. We do not want to inconvenience Bangladesh and we appreciate their point of view on the matter. We also do not want the people of North Bengal to be inconvenienced because of the agreement,” Ms Banerjee told reporters at Writers Buildings.
According to Ms Banerjee, the expert committee constituted nearly two weeks back will give an independent analysis of the situation. The committee will study the impact of the water sharing agreement and its impact on North Bengal. She however, did not mention the timeframe within which the committee is expected to submit its report.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Foreign Minister maintained that discussions were held on “various topics.” When asked whether discussions took place on the Teesta Water sharing agreement, Ms Moni said that it was an internal matter between the West Bengal government and the Centre.
“It would not be right on my part to comment on the matter,” she told reporters after the meeting.