Govt not upset about Teesta deal
Says Gowhar Rizvi
Prime Minister's foreign affairs adviser Dr Gowhar Rizvi yesterday said the government was not upset about the fate of the proposed deal on sharing the Teesta waters with India but it depend on the upper riparian country when the deal would be inked.
"It depends on them but the (Bangladesh) government is not worried (about the fate of the proposed deal) . . . the Teesta treaty will be signed during the tenure of the incumbent government," he told a view-exchange with local civil society representatives at Dahagram union parishad.
He, however, acknowledged that the obstacle in signing the deal was created "somewhere" in India and feared that unless the treaty was signed a part of the northwestern Bangladesh would experience desertification.
After a short visit to Dahagram and Angarpota enclaves, through the Tin Bigha corridor, he said: "Bangladeshi people are being harassed and tortured unnecessary by the Indian boarder security force (BSF) personnel though the treaty was signed for 24-hour access to the enclaves of Dahagram-Angarpota through the Tin Bigha area."
Rizvi assured the local people of solving the issue bilaterally with Indian government, for this, the people of Dahagram-Angarpota have to wait with patience.
Some positive signs are seen with Indian part to exchange Indian corridors located in Bangladesh, he said.
"If the corridor exchange is finished peacefully then it would bring bright future and smuggling would be reduced in border areas," Rizvi said.
Earlier, Dr Gowhar Rizvi visited the biggest irrigation project Teesta barrage.
The view exchange was addressed, among others, by sector commander of Rangpur of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Col Neyamul Islam Fatemi, Deputy Commissioner of Rangpur Mokhlesur Rahman Sarkar and Administrator of Rangpur District Advocate Matiar Rahman.
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