Neighbours to bridge gap over river linking

This is the first time, interlinking of rivers will be on an institutional agenda. The discussions are likely to take place tomorrow after routine matters are taken up. The Indian delegation reiterated that the focus was not on the inter-linking project and said that it could be raised as a miscellaneous item.

India sought to allay Bangladesh’s apprehensions that the ambitious project of linking major rivers would adversely affect the neighbouring country. Union Water Resources Minister Arjun Charan Sethi told reporters after his 20-minute one-to-one meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart Hafiz Uddin Ahmed that most of his fears were ‘‘imaginary’’.

‘‘This is not an issue in India. The project is at a very initial stage. We have not yet discussed it with different states and even pre-feasibility study has not been completed and so there should not be any apprehension on the part of Bangladesh,’’ he said.

‘‘When things are discussed threadbare at home, only then we can think of having discussions with our neighbour,’’ Sethi added.

Officials accompanying Ahmed told The Indian Express that once things are decided, it will be a ‘‘fait accompli’’.

They said Bangladesh wanted to be involved from the ‘‘conception’’ stage.

‘‘Given the good relationship between the two countries, we can come to a solution through discussion. Bangladesh has an ‘‘open mind’’ on the issue,’’ Ahmed added.

The agenda of this JRC meeting includes progress in implementation of the Ganges water-sharing treaty signed in 1996, discussion of sharing the Teesta and six other common rivers and flood forecasting in the light of the flood havoc caused in India and Bangladesh in 2001. The JRC, set up in June 1972, is meeting after two-and-half years, though it is expected to meet four times a year.