The
first JRC ministerial meeting in five years was held with high hopes for a deal
against the backdrop of the "successful summit" between Prime Ministers
Sheikh Hasina and Manmohan Singh in New Delhi in January. Officials said both
countries were hopeful of making significant progress in resolving the issues
related to sharing of Teesta water.
The India-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) asked
water resources secretaries of the two countries to analyze Dhaka's draft on
expeditious conclusion of an interim agreement on sharing the Teesta waters.
On the final day of the 37th JRC meeting in New Delhi,
India also agreed on Bangladesh's proposal for tripartite talks on building
reservoirs in Nepal.
Water Resources Minister Ramesh Chandra Sen led the
Bangladesh side in the meeting while his counterpart Pawan Kumar Bansal the
Indian side.
Bangladesh informed the JRC that during the period
from 1997 to 10th March 2010, it has received lesser quantity of water at
Farakka than its share agreed in the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty.
