Staff Reporter :Bangladesh is expecting to reach a water sharing deal of the river Teesta with Indian during the forthcoming tour of the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Modi is expected to arrive in Dhaka on June 6 on a two-day visit to Bangladesh. According to diplomatic sources, Modi has formed a committee to finalize different aspects of the water sharing agreement. Representatives of the two Indian states of West Bengal and Bihar are also included in the committee to clarify all ambiguities about the much-talked about the deal. Bangladesh wants India to prepare all necessary things about the agreement before Modi’s arrival, the sources said. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam, who left for New Delhi on May 22 to take part in the two-day Bangladesh-India Friendship Dialogue, has already discussed different aspects of the deal with several ministers of India. Indian leaders have assured Shahrial Alam that an agreement on the water sharing of Teesta would come into being during the Indian premier’s trip. Regarding the deal, the minister said he marked positive attitude from the Indian part and he is hopeful of an amicable solution to the water sharing of the common river between the two neighbouring countries. The two countries came close to reach an water sharing agreement during the visit of former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singhr to Bangladesh in 2011 and a protocol was signed in this regard. But finally the deal was not signed due to the opposition of West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.However, as per sources, this time Mamata has given go ahead to the Indian government to sing the agreement. The Chief Ministers of several Indian states, including Mamata, are also accompanying the Indian Prime Minister. Apart from the water sharing deal, the exchange of the enclaves between the two countries is also likely to start during the Modi’s visit. Indian parliament brought an amendment to the Constitution of India to ratify the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) early this month, paving way to swap 162 enclaves between the two countries. Both the countries are also expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the human trafficking issue.
