Dhaka bars water flow of 3 common rivers: Mamata writes to Modi

[EastBengalPro]

In an apparent bid to counter campaign against her for blocking the Teesta river water-sharing treaty, West Bengal Chief minister Mamata Banerjee today said Dhaka has set up barrages and river-controlling structures affecting water flow of three common rivers.

In a three-page letter written to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi whom she met for half an hour in New Delhi today, Mamata said Atrai, Tangon and Punarbhava originated in Bangladesh and then entered India before flowing back into that country but the natural flow of the water of the three rivers has been affected by barrages and river-controlling structures in the country.

In her letter, released at a press conference at New Delhi, she said that Bangladesh suddenly released heavy quantum of water from river-control structures in upstream areas on Atrai in the last week of April this year, resulting inundation of crops in West Bengal with the damage estimated at Rs 32.80 crore.

She also said the India-Bangladesh Ganga water-sharing treaty has not benefitted West Bengal or helped the navigability of Kolkata and Haldia ports.

Mamata asked the Indian government to prepare a comprehensive plan to address the problems, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

She alleged that sharp hiking of the import duty on mangoes from Malda district of West Bengal by Bangladesh government has hit the livelihood of lakhs of mango-growers on her side of the border.

Mamata has been facing criticism both in India and Bangladesh for repeatedly obstructing the signing of Teesta water-sharing deal since September 2011 and she refused to budge from her stand during talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Modi during Hasina’s official visit to India in April this year.

http://www.thedailystar.net/world/s...amata-banerji-writes-to-narendra-modi-1410817

 

[EastBengalPro]

BD politicians has got to learn some patriotism from this lady!

 

[Banglar Bir]

12:00 AM, May 26, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 05:14 AM, May 26, 2017
Mamata at it again

Alleges Bangladesh 'blocking flows of 3 common rivers'

Our Correspondent, New Delhi

In an apparent bid to counter criticism of her for blocking the Teesta river water sharing treaty between India and Bangladesh, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee yesterday said Dhaka had set up barrages and structures to change the course of three common rivers -- Atrai, Tangon and Punarbhava.

In a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi whom she met for half an hour here in New Delhi, Mamata said the India-Bangladesh Ganga water-sharing treaty had not benefitted West Bengal or ensured the navigability at Kolkata and Haldia ports.

She asked the Indian government to prepare a comprehensive plan to address the problem.

The Atrai, Tangon and Punarbhava originated in Bangladesh and then entered India before flowing back into the country. The natural flow of the waters has been affected by barrages and river-controlling structures in Bangladesh, resulting in a decline in water flow in lean months, Mamata said in the letter, adding that water supply for irrigation, drinking, horticulture and pisciculture was badly affected in Dakshin Dinajpur district of West Bengal.

“It is reported that Bangladesh government has constructed a rubber barrage on Atrai at Mohanipur in Dinajpur (Bangladesh), which is about four km away from Indian border,” reads the letter that was released at a media conference in New Delhi.

The letter also cited that the Indian state minister for water resources had acknowledged the decline in water availability on the Indian side due to dams and other structures in the Atrai in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh suddenly released heavy quantum of water from the river-control structures on the upstream in the last week of April, causing inundation of crops in West Bengal, its chief minister said, putting the loss estimation at Rs 32.80 crore.

Nearly 3,000 farmers were affected by floods in India, she said asking the Indian government to take up the issue with Dhaka at “the appropriate level.”

In the letter, Mamata also claimed that West Bengal Pollution Control Board had found severe level of pollutants in the waters of the Mathabhanga river that originated in Bangladesh and entered Nadia district of West Bengal as the Churni river.

The quality of water of the Churni on the Indo-Bangladesh border is “extremely poor” and cannot be used for purposes like fish farming, she said, asking the Bangladesh government to consider the seriousness of the problem and initiate remedial measures.

Mamata has been facing criticism both in India and Bangladesh for repeatedly obstructing the signing of the Teesta water sharing deal. She refused to budge from her stance during talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Modi when Hasina visited India in April this year.

Mamata said West Bengal government's experience with the 1996 India-Bangladesh Ganga water sharing treaty was not a happy one. She pointed out the “adverse” impacts on the availability of water in her state and land erosion in Malda, Murshidabad and Nadia districts.

The lack of water in the Ganga during the lean season occasionally causes shutting down of the National Thermal Power Plant in Farakka. “The promise of making water available” has not been fulfilled, according to the letter.

In 2005, the Indian government agreed to take up anti-river-erosion work along a stretch of 120km in the Ganga-Padma river system in Malda and Murshidabad districts, but the commitment was not kept by the Indian government, Mamata said.

As per an estimation made in 2015, the damage of public and private properties due to land erosion was Rs 707 crore. Since then, further erosion along the river has been noticed and the total loss of private and public properties caused by the Farakka barrage would now exceed Rs 1,000 crore, the West Bengal chief minister said.

Mamata asked the Indian PM to direct the Farakka barrage authority to draw up a comprehensive plan in consultation with West Bengal to take up anti-erosion and bank protection work on the entire stretch of the Ganga-Padma river both downstream and upstream.

MAMATA'S OTHER COMPLAINTS
She said Bangladesh sharply hiked the import duty on mangoes from Malda district of West Bengal, which had an adverse impact on the livelihood of lakhs of mango growers on that side of the border.

Bangladesh usually consumes around 70 percent of the mangoes grown in Malda district and the import duty has been increased from Rs 13.5 per kg to Rs 29 per kg in 2016.

This has resulted in drastic reduction of exports from 2,900 tonnes to nearly 46 tonnes from West Bengal to Bangladesh, Mamata said asking the Indian government to discuss the matter with Bangladesh in the interest of mango growers in the state.

http://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/mamata-hits-back-1410946

 

[Mage]

Mwahahahahahaha!!!!!!!

Keep b*tching

 

[Avon]

@Nilgiri @SarthakGanguly
Whats the deal now guys? How much of what she said is true?

Media is calling it a political meeting while she trying to calm'em down by calling it a meeting for progress.

 

[Bilal9]

Mwahahahahahaha!!!!!!!

Keep b*tching

Central Govt. saved Haldia port and Kolkatta's Industry by putting up the diversion dam in Farakka and making Bangladesh a desert. And this creature is still whining......

See all the threads below in 'similar threads' and tell me where India's future stakes lie as far as politics and external affairs.....

India's central govt. only now realizing whether saving Kolkatta was worth it........

 

[Roybot]

Mamta is a shit stirrer, the sooner people get rid of her the better it will be, for both Best Bengal and Bangladesh.

 

[Nilgiri]

@Nilgiri @SarthakGanguly
Whats the deal now guys? How much of what she said is true?

Media is calling it a political meeting while she trying to calm'em down by calling it a meeting for progress.

She has amply illustrated she is no friend (or even neutral) of Modi. She should be ignored and told to negotiate (back-channels) with BD herself...and own all results of that (Modi can sign whatever needed on dotted line but she owns it 100%). Seriously sick of the shenanigans and stunts and hissy fits she pulls every week about whatever passing fancy strikes her. If the situation is so bad, the farmers from the region can very well present their case in Delhi themselves (like other farmers have done from all around the country)...why is she the exclusive intermediary when it suits her? She is not trustworthy, neither is she transparent....best to leave her to atrophy alone in her sourness. Only when BJP takes WB politically will there be change and we can settle all issues with BD permanently and peaceably. Till then treat that state as political hot potato dropped on mucky ground...and only push for greater defense at border and as much permeation of internal security apparatus as possible (countering her vote bank tactics that are dangerous radical appeasement based).

 

[Avon]

She has amply illustrated she is no friend (or even neutral) of Modi. She should be ignored and told to negotiate (back-channels) with BD herself...and own all results of that (Modi can sign whatever needed on dotted line but she owns it 100%). Seriously sick of the shenanigans and stunts and hissy fits she pulls every week about whatever passing fancy strikes her. If the situation is so bad, the farmers from the region can very well present their case in Delhi themselves (like other farmers have done from all around the country)...why is she the exclusive intermediary when it suits her? She is not trustworthy, neither is she transparent....best to leave her to atrophy alone in her sourness. Only when BJP takes WB politically will there be change and we can settle all issues with BD permanently and peaceably. Till then treat that state as political hot potato dropped on mucky ground...and only push for greater defense at border and as much permeation of internal security apparatus as possible (countering her vote bank tactics that are dangerous radical appeasement based).

Yea she seems to oppose almost every deal that are being worked out between India & BD since the day she came to power. I have been sick of her since years now ,though i still thought there would be something positive in what she was talking about, my bad.

 

[Banglar Bir]

60 percent Teesta water blocked for Sikkim power plants
Kolkata Correspondent, April 22, 2017

510 MW Teesta-V Power Station (Sikkim) -Dam by NHPC Limited
The controversy over Teesta has now reached Sikkim. The West Bengal government has repeatedly complained about the several hydroelectric projects in Sikkim and now sent a report in this regard to India’s central government. It alleges that 60 percent of Teesta’s waters are being blocked for power plants in Sikkim, bring the flow down to 100 cumecs.

The central government’s attention has been drawn by a report from a committee headed by the principal secretary of the West Bengal’s department of works Indarbar Pandey. Taking the allegations of Mamata Banerjee’s government into cognizance, a parliamentary committee of the power ministry is being dispatched on 23 April to Sikkim to assess how much water is being withdrawn for the power projects there.

During Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s recent visit to India, West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee created quite a stir with her offer to share water of other rivers, but not Teesta. Neither India not Bangladesh accepted her proposal.

Upon her return from Delhi, Mamata sent a report to the centre about the present state of Teesta. It said that during the lean season of April-May, about 1600 cumecs of water from Teesta was required for irrigation in Bangladesh and West Bengal. But it presently has 16 percent less than required and so the West Bengal government has reduced the irrigation area to 52 thousand hectares.

Experts blame the eight hydroelectric projects in Sikkim for this water shortage. The West Bengal report says that these power plants have blocked 60 percent of the water. The plants have the facilities to release the blocked water after use, but do not do so in due time. An expert has said that it is only natural for Teesta not to have water if it is blocked for eight power plants, even if temporarily.

Also Read: Will Modi spurn Mamata for the Teesta deal?

A West Bengal lawmaker has remarked that the Indian government is finally paying attention and is sending a parliamentary commission to assess the impact of Sikkim’s hydroelectricity projects.

Teesta flows down from the lake created by the Than Chung Cho glacier about 23,159 ft above Sikkim, and flows 151 kilometers through Sikkim to the West Bengal plains via Kalimpong. Many smaller rivers in Sikkim flow into Teesta. After flowing for 142 kilometers through West Bengal. Teesta enters Bangladesh and then joins Brahmaputra.

Over the last decade, innumerable hydroelectric power plants are being planned in Sikkim and West Bengal. Many have already begun operating. Also canals have been dug upstream and water diverted for irrigation.

A 2013 report of Asia Foundation said that about 30 hydroelectric projects had been planned for the generation of 5000 MW of electricity. Eight of these had been set up in Sikkim for which massive dams had been constructed. Similarly, two dams had been set up in Darjeeling. Even if the water is released again, five percent of the water is wasted, according to experts.

The West Bengal report states that the objective of the barrages at Gazaldoba in West Bengal and Lalmonirhat in Bangladesh was to block water for irrigation of 920 thousand hectares land in West Bengal and 750 hectares in Bangladesh. But this has not been done. No reservoir was constructed at Gazaldoba, rendering the barrage ineffective.

Despite reassurances, a solution to the Teesta problem remains a far cry. Sources at the central water resources ministry say that the river linking project is focusing on increasing Teesta waters, but this is both a lengthy process and also will have dire consequences on the environment.

http://southasianmonitor.com/2017/04/22/60-percent-teesta-water-blocked-sikkim-power-plants/

Hope this article clarifies all your doubts and reveals the real Chanakya diplomacy being implemented by the Indian Central Government, merely turning Mamata as a scapegoat, an arch rival of BJP in Paschim Bangla, simultaneously trying to fool Bangladesh,as well. Trying to kill two birds with one stone.

 

[idune]

Central Govt. saved Haldia port and Kolkatta's Industry by putting up the diversion dam in Farakka and making Bangladesh a desert. And this creature is still whining......

See all the threads below in 'similar threads' and tell me where India's future stakes lie as far as politics and external affairs.....

India's central govt. only now realizing whether saving Kolkatta was worth it........

indian central govt and WB are all in sync, just playing good cop and bad cop game. From sheikh mujib to hasina, it is awami league that gave everything to indian master and Bangladesh and Bangladeshis are suffering. Closing all trade through border, is one single step that will make people like Momata cry uncle. Will awami league do it? We know the answer to that.

 

[Nilgiri]

Yea she seems to oppose almost every deal that are being worked out between India & BD since the day she came to power. I have been sick of her since years now ,though i still thought there would be something positive in what she was talking about, my bad.

She could be right. I just think we need to hear from farmers, not her. She is not trustworthy.

 

[extra terrestrial]

These squabbles between the central govt. of India and West Bengal are nothing but hilarious. At first sight, Mamata seems to be an irritant for the central govt., but is that really so?

Mamata's rise to power is somewhat comparable to a fairytale. Defeating the CPIM who had been dominating the West Bengal politics for decades without any substantial opposition is something huge. A woman, without any significant political (or family) background, comes out of nowhere, forms a new party and assumes power - a story no less than a miracle!

Back in the 1990s, the CPIM and the Awami League leaders maintained close relations. The frequent visits of high-level CPIM delegations to Bangladesh even made those chaps in Delhi somewhat nervous...

There was a case in the mid-1990s involving the discovery of huge arms in a West Bengal district of Purulia. It is said that RAW had planned a massive instability in the state to overthrow the CPIM government. While in Bangladesh, RAW began to search for establishing contacts with the BNP. In an unprecedented move, they successfully supported the BNP-led 4-party alliance in the 2001 general elections in Bangladesh, much to the displeasure of both the CPIM and AL...

Mamata's election as the Chief Minister of West Bengal in 2011 received extensive media coverage in Bangladesh. According to many, Hasina and Mamata shared very close personal relations. However, her anti-Bangladeshi stance right after the elections was pretty odd. Currently in West Bengal, CPIM is on a massive decline as a political force while BJP is going through a silent rise with the help of the propaganda movements by extremists RSS, Bajrang Dal and VHP...

All these things are India's internal issues which are irrelevant for us as far as the official bilateral relations go. There is no reason for us to accept India's excuse of their domestic issues to delay the Teesta Pact. Apparently, there were enough opposition within Bangladesh against the defence MoU or the transit agreements, yet we have signed them. Similarly, there must be no obstacle for India to sign the Teesta pact if they are really willing to do that...

 

[Michael Corleone]

Funny how she takes the convo from water to mango. I am surprised she didn't complain about us, not giving her hilsha for free.

 

[mb444]

idiotic choreographed distraction by hindutva goons