Farakka not at fault: water minister
Dhaka, Feb 18 (bdnews24.com) — Water resources minister Ramesh Chandra Sen brushed off a common allegation on Thursday that India's Farakka Barrage causes droughts and floods in Bangladesh, with the backdrop of renewed Bangla-Indo ties.
Referring to a long held contention that the barrage disrupted life and livelihoods in the lower riparian regions of the Padma river in Bangladesh, he said rather the harm done was due to corruption in river management projects.
"Corruption in dredging projects is responsible for all this," said Ramesh Chandra Sen at a workshop on regional cooperation at the Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs on Wednesday. Without naming any names, Sen alleged, "One minister pocketed the money (in the past) avoiding necessary dredging."
Regarding the possibility of India constructing another dam, the Tipaimukh on the Barak river in Manipur state, he reiterated that the Indian prime minister had pledged not to construct anything that could be harmful for Bangladesh. "A dam can be set up only when the feasibility studies and the hydraulic survey assure that it would be harmless," the minister said.
The minister stressed on improved bilateral relations to address any complication regarding water sharing between the countries. The two-day workshop had two more sessions—role of media and trade—attended by home minister Sahara Khatun and commerce minister Faruk Khan.
Prime minister's advisor HT Imam said absence of good relation with India was a constraint to Bangladesh's development. "There have been a number of conspiracies which led to the deterioration of relations with India and fostered anti-India perceptions."
Commerce minister Faruk Khan said politicians and bureaucrats created the constraints in trade relations between India and Bangladesh. "Our politicians use trade as political weapon, although it ultimately benefits the people," the minister said.
"We're moving forward to address the problems after prime minister Sheikh Hasina's visit of India," he added. BILIA chairman Wali-ur Rahman chaired the sessions.
Referring to a long held contention that the barrage disrupted life and livelihoods in the lower riparian regions of the Padma river in Bangladesh, he said rather the harm done was due to corruption in river management projects.
"Corruption in dredging projects is responsible for all this," said Ramesh Chandra Sen at a workshop on regional cooperation at the Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs on Wednesday. Without naming any names, Sen alleged, "One minister pocketed the money (in the past) avoiding necessary dredging."
Regarding the possibility of India constructing another dam, the Tipaimukh on the Barak river in Manipur state, he reiterated that the Indian prime minister had pledged not to construct anything that could be harmful for Bangladesh. "A dam can be set up only when the feasibility studies and the hydraulic survey assure that it would be harmless," the minister said.
The minister stressed on improved bilateral relations to address any complication regarding water sharing between the countries. The two-day workshop had two more sessions—role of media and trade—attended by home minister Sahara Khatun and commerce minister Faruk Khan.
Prime minister's advisor HT Imam said absence of good relation with India was a constraint to Bangladesh's development. "There have been a number of conspiracies which led to the deterioration of relations with India and fostered anti-India perceptions."
Commerce minister Faruk Khan said politicians and bureaucrats created the constraints in trade relations between India and Bangladesh. "Our politicians use trade as political weapon, although it ultimately benefits the people," the minister said.
"We're moving forward to address the problems after prime minister Sheikh Hasina's visit of India," he added. BILIA chairman Wali-ur Rahman chaired the sessions.
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