The West Bengal government was not consulted by the Centre before starting negotiations with Bangladesh for the renewal of the 1996 Ganga Water Sharing Treaty, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien alleged on Sunday, according to PTI.
The treaty between Bangladesh and India for sharing of the water from river Ganga was signed in 1996 and will expire in 2026, when it completes its 30-year term.
O’Brien’s comments came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina on Saturday held talks on a range of bilateral matters, including the treaty.
“The state is a party to the treaty,” he said, reported PTI. “Even our dues for the previous treaty have not been cleared. Dredging of the Ganga has been stopped. It is the primary reason for floods and erosion. This is a plan to sell off Bengal.”
On Saturday, Modi said that the two countries have decided to start technical-level discussions for renewal of the treaty. Further, an Indian technical team will visit Bangladesh to discuss conservation and management of the Teesta river inside Bangladesh.
West Bengal and Bihar have raised several concerns about the treaty including erosion, siltation and floods due to the Farakka barrage across river Ganga as it does not allow river sediments to flow with minimal obstruction.
In 2022, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had written to Modi expressing concern over the continuous erosion along the Ganga in Malda, Murshidabad and Nadia districts. In 2016, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had asked Modi to remove the Farakka barrage saying it has more disadvantages than benefits.
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