Dhaka welcomes Indian parliamentary committe's call on Delhi to resolve Teesta issue

Bangladesh has described “encouraging and significant” the recent recommendation made by India's Parliamentary Standing Committee regarding Teesta water sharing agreement.

“It is surely encouraging and meaningful; specially MPs from all political parties of India are there in this committee. That is why such a recommendation generated hope among us,” spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Seheli Sabrin told reporters at the weekly media briefing on Thursday.

She said they noticed through the Bangladesh Mission in New Delhi that the committee recommended reaching consensus on Teesta water sharing through meaningful dialogue to strengthen the relations between the two countries.

Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs in India unanimously has recently recommended to the government to resolve the pending Teesta water sharing issue at the earliest 'to improve the bilateral relation further' with Bangladesh.

Recalling earlier discussions, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reiterated Bangladesh’s long pending request for concluding the interim agreement on the sharing of the waters of the Teesta River, the draft of which was finalised in 2011.

In September last year, PM Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi also directed the officials to work together to address issues such as pollution in rivers and to improve riverine environment and river navigability in respect of common rivers.

When Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma met PM Hasina at Gonobhaban recently, the prime minister said that she was looking forward to attending the G20 Summit in India in September, according to the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.

The standing committee composed of all parties’ lawmakers submitted the report on 'India's Neighborhood First Policy' in both the houses of the Parliament –Rajyasabha, upper house and Loksabha, lower house, on July 25.

P.P. Chaudhary, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs is from BJP.

Important members of the parliament like former Home Minister of Congress P Chidambaram, Abhishek Banerjee of TMC, BJP MP Swapan Dasgutpa and other 27 members of Parliament of Rajyasabha and Loksabha are the members of the committee, media reported.

The report contains a special chapter on the bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh .

"The Committee is aware of the long outstanding issue between India and Bangladesh on sharing of Teesta River water and desires that this important issue be worked out at the earliest for improved bilateral relations with Bangladesh."

"The Committee also urges the Ministry to initiate meaningful dialogues with Bangladesh on a regular basis to arrive at a consensus in the matter and the progress and outcome may be informed to the committee on the issue of pending disputes between India and Bangladesh and the fresh initiatives and meaningful dialogues proposed to be taken to resolve such disputes,” media reported.