Water resources adviser to the interim government Syeda Rizwana Hasan has said the interim government will work on advancing the Teesta agreement with India.
Making the remark to reporters after meeting with a World Bank delegation at the Secretariat on Wednesday afternoon, she added, “I will do whatever I have to do. I will not hesitate to speak about the rights that Bangladesh has over Teesta River.
“We will speak to the people on the Teesta banks. The Joint River Commission does the negotiations, but we will shed light on what the people of Teesta banks want.”
Rizwana continued, “West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she will not deprive her people of water. So I will make sure that what my people want comes to the table. The UN international law of 1997 requires 36 signatures. It took 17 years to do that. This is the global reality.
“I will definitely take measures so that the life of rivers in Bangladesh is healthy, and the people who depend on rivers can represent their rightful demands. We will highlight the international laws that exist. The people of Bangladesh should not lose hope. We do not have the power to grant anything, but we must always speak my mind. That will be communicated very clearly.”
When asked whether there will be talks with India, Rizwana said, “We have to go talk to India. We have Kushiyara and Feni agreements with them. There is also the issue of renewing the Ganga Pact. Apart from 54 trans-boundary rivers, there are some other such rivers as well.
“We will talk about the trans-boundary rivers. They [India] are the biggest neighbor, and they had a big role in the independence of Bangladesh. We will definitely maintain friendly relations with India, but we will present our demands strongly.”
She pointed out, “We will speak in international circles that this is a fair demand. I would like to assure the people that we will definitely press their just demands, to save the lives of rivers throughout Bangladesh.”
