Manmohan To Announce Tipaimukh Construction In Sept Visit
Move, according to observers, to alleviate ever-growing anti-Indian sentiment
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may make the announcement to
begin construction of the controversial Tipaimukh dam amid his
scheduled Dhaka visit on 6-7 September.
According to a paper drafted by the Bangladesh Prime Minister's
Office, the Indian authority is going discuss with Bangladesh about
the dam which is going to adversely affect the latter country.
It was reported that, the Indian government only referred that 'India
would not take unilateral steps on the Tipaimukh project that would
adversely affect Bangladesh'. The reference came through a
Bangladesh-India joint communiqué issued during Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina's Delhi visit in January 2010.
It is added to the official paper also reads that the Indian premier's
assurance of not harming Bangladesh will 'create a huge positive
impact on public perception in Bangladesh', English newspaper the
Daily Sun has reported.
"Though Tipaimukh has long ceased to be an issue, an announcement may
be included for public perception to the effect that India would
consult government of Bangladesh on Tipaimukh dam issue and would not
undertake any project which may harm Bangladesh," reads the
'restricted' paper that the daily reports to have obtained.
The paper reportedly also suggests the PMO and the foreign office to
coordinate the matter with the Indian government.
"Some important announcements will be made during the Indian prime
minister's visit," said Awami League MP Abdur Razzaq, who led a house
delegation in July 2005 to observe matters on the dam to India.
Observers contacted, has been saying since the report came out, New
Delhi would make such move in a bid to alleviate the escalating
anti-Indian sentiment in the country.
The sentiment is hugely contributed particularly by the issue of water
management of mutual rivers because of a controversial Farakka Barrage
treaty damaging Bangladesh heavily, signed between the then
Bangladeshi and Indian premiers Sheikh Mujib and Indira Gandhi.
The current opposition and also a three-time government party, BNP
along with the majority of country's environmentalists expressed deep
concern about construction of the proposed dam, stating that its
affects would be far worse than the Farakka barrage. A number of
environmentalist groups and activists in India ironically joined
movement against the dam.
However the leaders of the ruling Awami League have been accusing the
opposition as well as the environmentalists to have been opposing the
dam in a bid to undermine the important diplomatic ties with India.
Ramesh Chandra Sen, water resources minister in Sheikh Hasina's
present cabinet, said, "India is such an important friend of us that
we should allow them to build the dam even if it harms us in anyways".
The controversial dam is about to be built at the confluence of Barak
and Tuivai rivers in India, whose downstreams, Bangladeshi rivers of
Surma and Kushiara respectively, largely contribute in water supplies
for livelihood and agro in the entire northeast-eastern Bangladesh.
Indian population of the eastern states, known as the seven sisters,
have also been opposing the dam project since 1970s as the project, if
implemented, would displace millions of people and destroy its rich
biodiversity.
Environmentalists both in Bangladesh and India say that the
construction of the huge dam will dry up the two rivers in the greater
Sylhet region. Upon growing criticism at home and abroad, New Delhi
once assured that the dam would not adversely affect Bangladesh as the
multipurpose hydroelectric project has no irrigation component.
http://bangladeshfirst.com/newsdetails.php?cid=37&scid=49&nid=2046
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