It is all set for ratification of the much-delayed Land Boundary Agreement between India and Bangladesh — it will happen during the forthcoming Dhaka visit of Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj.
She is visiting Dhaka for two days beginning June 25.
Top officials of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) told bdnews24.com that the Modi government was keen to resolve the Teesta Water sharing agreement.
“The spadework has started and you will soon see results,” is all a MEA official dealing with the issue was prepared to tell bdnews24.com.
Unconfirmed reports indicate Prime Minister Modi has got Sikkim’s state government to ensure greater availability of water on the Teesta and is now seeking to persuade West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to agree to the agreement.
Modi plans to provide a special financial package to West Bengal if Banerjee agrees to the Teesta agreement that she has earlier opposed.
“For formalising the LBA, India will ask Bangladesh to open the Tetulia corridor for better connectivity between northeast and rest of India. It will facilitate movement of goods and people to the northeast,” a senior government official said on condition of anonymity.
Tetulia is a 4 km corridor in Bangladesh which can reduce the road travel to and from northeast by over 85 km. While India had opened the Tinbigha corridor for use by Bangladesh, Dhaka has not yet allowed passage to India through Tetulia.
Before coming to power, BJP had vehemently opposed in Parliament the ratification of the LBA, although UPA introduced a Constitution amendment bill on LBA in the Rajya Sabha just before the winter session came to an end in December last.
But now, Modi says it is India’s ‘sovereign commitment’ given to Bangladesh and has to be honoured.
And he is seeking to get some advantage for the Northeast to defuse the resistance to the LBA in Assam.
The bill aims to redraw the international boundary between India and Bangladesh by exchanging land enclaves and areas of adverse possession along with the population on either side, thus making the highly incongruous and porous Indo-Bangla border more manageable.
Source: Bd news24
