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| File Phot: Tista River |
One of the topics discussed on social media was that
the proposed Teesta river water resources management project was not being
submitted to the ECNEC for approval in the face of Indian objections, despite
its final preparation. About three years ago, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina requested Chinese President Xi Jinping about the project. China has
turned the Huang Ho River, once known as the "Sorrow of China", into
a "blessing." In the same vein, the Prime Minister's request was how
to modernize the water management of the Teesta River, which is a disaster for
the people of the north-western districts of Bangladesh every year, through a
multi-faceted project. In response to that request, the project proposal was
handed over to Bangladesh by China a few months ago after the feasibility study
of the proposed Teesta River project with full Chinese funding was received and
implemented. At the same time, China offered to provide a loan to Bangladesh
for the implementation of the project.
In the proposed Teesta River project, the depth of
the middle river will be increased to 10 meters and the width of the river will
be greatly reduced by carrying out massive excavation of 115 km of the river
Teesta within the borders of Bangladesh. At the same time, opportunities for
cultivation will be created by rescuing land through river management. A 115 km
long four lane road will be constructed along the two banks of the river.
Irrigation system will be developed in the dry season on the cultivable lands
on both the banks of the river by constructing several barrages-cum-roads at
suitable places to ensure communication between the two banks of the river as
well as by conserving the huge surplus water of the river flowing during
monsoon. In addition, extensive industrialization and urbanization facilities will
be built along the roads on both the banks of the river.
India believes that China's participation in the
project will be dangerous for the security of its northeastern part of the
country and is therefore directly pressuring Bangladesh to cancel the project.
If China joins the Teesta project, hundreds or thousands of Chinese nationals
will be located near the 'chicken neck' in India's Siliguri corridor, which is
not acceptable to India. That is why Bangladesh is being asked to withdraw from
this project. It is also rumored that India has assured Bangladesh that if
Mamata Banerjee is ousted from power in the March-April elections in West
Bengal, India will no longer be a hindrance to the signing of the Teesta Water
Sharing Agreement, which has been stalled since 2011.
The question that must be answered by the ruling
class of our country is, as an independent and sovereign country, can we not
independently take up projects in our interest? India is our friend, but there
is no chance of bowing to any unjust pressure from India.
Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram
Doraiswamy claimed at a meeting of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association of
Bangladesh (DICAB) in Dhaka last February 15 that "India does not have
'grandfathering' with Bangladesh." Now, if any project in the interest of
Bangladesh is dropped due to Indian pressure, what shall we call it? Why would
Chinese engineers and technicians engaged in a river management project be a
threat to India's state security? The ‘Siliguri Chicken Neck’ is far from the
area through which the Teesta River enters Bangladesh from India. And how did
the Chinese nationals who will be located in the project area several
kilometers from the Bangladesh-India border become a sensitive issue for India?
We recall that the Chinese-funded deep seaport
project in Sonadia, Bangladesh, was canceled due to Indian opposition. With the
construction of a good alternative deep seaport at Matarbari in Maheshkhali,
the construction work of that port is now progressing fast with the funding of
Japan.
We see that despite the border dispute, India
continues to trade about 100 billion in
foreign trade with China. However, India is opposing Bangladesh on various
pretexts when it comes to borrowing from China on easy terms to develop its own
economic infrastructure. We know that the loan assistance that India has given
to Bangladesh in various projects is so difficult that in reality Bangladesh is
not able to use that loan assistance.
The Teesta is a historically whimsical river. Almost
every year in the monsoon season, the north-western part of Bangladesh is
flooded due to this river. The people of this area, which is relatively dry
during the dry season, are also deprived of irrigation facilities due to the
scarcity of water in the Teesta River. The Bangladesh part of the Teesta River
remains waterless for most of the year after India unilaterally constructed a
dam at Ghazaldoba in West Bengal upstream of the Teesta River and completely
blocked the Teesta water in the dry season. When the two countries reached the
threshold of signing the Teesta water sharing agreement in 2011, the Chief
Minister of West Bengal protested and for that the bowing to the objections of
her, Dr. Manmohan Singh withdrew from signing the agreement.
India has long suspended the Teesta water sharing
agreement. But now that the proposed Teesta project has come to the fore, the
Teesta agreement is being assured to be signed. What needs to be considered
here is that the Teesta Treaty and the proposed Teesta project are not at all
conflicting. With or without the Teesta Treaty, the Teesta project is expected
to bring about a landmark change in the lives and livelihoods of the people of
the region. If the agreement is reached, the water level of the river may
increase a little in the dry season, but opening all the gates of Ghazaldoba
Barrage in the rainy season will not solve the floods that the people of this
region are facing!
Sustainable water from the proposed project
reservoirs can be used in a planned irrigation system to find a sustainable
solution to this problem. After discussing various aspects of the project, the
people of the area have become more enthusiastic about the project. There have
been several human chains and processions in the north-west of the country
recently for the immediate implementation of the project. I humbly request the
Prime Minister not to delay the approval of the Teesta River project.
Sources: The Prothom Alo and others
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