Government sources said that in a decision that has annoyed the West Bengal government, it has been holding communications with Bangladesh regarding the issues of sharing Teesta water and the Farakka Treaty, both of which are controversial.
This has come in the wake of a letter from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over some issues concerning the bilateral talks between India and Bangladesh, expressed one-sided.
As per the sources, it has been established that the Centre had sent a letter to the West Bengal government on July 24, 2023, regarding the nomination of a representative from the state for the committee that is to be constituted for an internal review of the Ratification of the Indιαν/ Bangladesh Farakka Water Treaty ibex, 1996.
Regarding the complaint, the state government nominated the Irrigation and Waterways Department’s Chief Engineer (Design and Research) on August 25 of the same year.
The Prime Minister has not advocated for the water-sharing treaty with Bangladesh for long as she has accused the Farakka Barrage of worsening erosion problems, siltation, and floods in West Bengal. In writing her recent letter to the Prime Minister, she pointed out fear and apprehension about how much such agreements would benefit the people of West Bengal.
This has recently come into the picture during the recently held bilateral talk between Modiji and Sheikh Hasina, PM of Bangladesh, where they discussed the issues related to the conservation and management of River Teesta and the extension of the Ganga water treaty signed in 1996.
