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Indian media has highlighted the report amid the 'possibility' of the final decision on China financing during Hasina's Beijing visit in July
Published : 24 Jun 2024, 02:29 AM
Amid China’s proposal to fund the mega-plan for the conservation and management of the Teesta River in the Bangladesh section hanging in the balance, the Indian government has expressed interest in joining.
As part of the manoeuvre, a technical team will soon visit Bangladesh, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday.
While the Indian foreign minister described the visit of the technical team as 'positive', some analysts believe it could be a hindrance to Chinese financing.
In the joint press conference in New Delhi, Modi said: “Fifty-four rivers connect India and Bangladesh. We are cooperating in flood management, early warnings, and drinking water projects. We have decided to start technical-level discussions to renew the 1996 Ganges water treaty.
"A technical team will soon visit Bangladesh to discuss the conservation and management of the Teesta River.”
Indian media significantly highlighted the announcement amid 'possibilities' of a final decision on China's financing of the Teesta project during Hasina's visit to Beijing scheduled next month.
According to unnamed sources cited by the Hindustan Times, India's interest in long-pending plans for dredging and development of the Teesta River is significant in the context of pressure from China.
“Amid New Delhi's concerns over awarding the work to a Chinese company, Beijing has submitted a formal project proposal worth about $1 billion.”
India's announcement could 'divert' China's 'pressure' on the project, which would be 'helpful' for Hasina's upcoming Beijing visit, the report observed.
On a question about India-China 'competition' over the Teesta project during the prime minister's visit to India, Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said, “There was no discussion about China's proposal concerning the Teesta River.”
Highlighting the discussions about the joint river management, he said, “There was discussion about the Teesta River or our joint river management. We have 54 common rivers and if we can manage them together, it would benefit both countries, and that was presented for discussion.
"We have sought India's help on the Rohingya issue, regarding sending back the Rohingya. Then the topic of China came up, where there is an ongoing ethnic conflict. No other issue related to China came up.”
When asked about the upcoming visit of the technical team from India, Mahmud said: “Look, Teesta is a big project, so a technical team must come. The arrival of a technical team is very positive.”
TEESTA MEGA PLAN
In September 2011, just before the visit of the then Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh to Dhaka, the water resource ministers of both countries met and agreed on the Teesta water-sharing treaty.
As the treaty looked set to be finalised during that visit, it was stalled due to opposition from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
After Modi's BJP government came to power in India, there were hopes about the Teesta treaty, but Mamata's stance did not change.
The Bangladesh government then undertook the 'Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project'.
In July 2019, during her visit to Beijing, Hasina sought China's assistance for this project among several others, as reported by the media.
The Teesta project will include infrastructure development for coastal management, flood control, and addressing water shortages during the summer, according to a BBC report at that time.
Later, on Feb 19, 2022, during an event in Rangpur, the then commerce minister Tipu Munshi said: “The Teesta mega plan will be implemented. The prime minister is very serious about this. There is a minor international complication, which is causing a delay. However, once it is resolved, it will be possible to establish a huge economic zone on both sides of the river.
“We need to wait a bit for this. Everything will be balanced and implemented because the prime minister herself wants the Teesta mega plan to be executed.”
As the project work was stalled, the Chinese Ambassador Yao Wen said in December last year that he hoped the project would start after the 12th national election.
Asked about the Chinese envoy’s remarks and the issue of India's objections to the project, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Seheli Sabrin said at the time: “It’s not easy to answer such speculative questions. If there is any such proposal, we will have to proceed considering geopolitical factors.”
During a meeting with Foreign Minister Mahmud in Dhaka after the new government was installed in January, ambassador Yao told journalists, “China is committed to the Teesta River project.”
“If Bangladesh provides a project proposal, China will consider it and provide support. We will continue our engagement with Bangladesh on this matter.”
Last month in Dhaka, India's Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra expressed India's interest in financing the Teesta project.
After a meeting with him on May 9, Foreign Minister Mahmud said: “There have been discussions about Teesta. We have taken up a major project on Teesta. India wants to finance it. I said the project in Teesta will be according to our needs and must fulfill our requirements."
Amid India's interest, Prime Minister Hasina said in parliament on Jun 12 her government sought Chinese loan as it was working to implement the Teesta mega plan.
At the 51st meeting of the foreign aid exploration committee of the Economic Relations Division, ERD, a decision was taken to request the Chinese government for a loan on easy terms.
Hasina added the government has taken initiatives to alleviate the hardships of the people living along the Teesta River in North Bengal. In pursuit of implementing the Teesta mega plan, a survey financed by the Chinese government was completed and a PDPP amounting to approximately Tk 82.10 billion, which was submitted to the ERD in August 2020.
Additionally, the PDPP included an evaluation report sent by the Chinese government to the ERD on Mar 5 last year. The report lacked a detailed analysis on large-scale land development and usage, and the improvement of navigation systems, but it highlighted these areas for significant investment, the prime minister told MPs.
The Chinese government later advised further detailed surveys for phased implementation of the project, Hasina said and added: "Power China authorities sent a proposal to revise the feasibility study report to the Bangladesh Water Development Board on August 27 last year, following the directives of the Chinese government. Subsequent activities are being implemented accordingly."
WHAT WILL THE TECHNICAL TEAM DO?
According to Hindustan Times, Indian Foreign Secretary Kwatra said at a media briefing that the management of shared water resources is "an extremely important and sensitive issue".
He said the two prime ministers discussed the conservation of the Teesta. In his words, robust technical management is required and it is not so much about water sharing but rather about managing the flow of water in the Teesta.
After the meeting between Hasina and Modi in Delhi, the joint statement said, "As part of our development cooperation, we will manage and conserve the Teesta River within Bangladesh at mutually agreed times with the support of India."
On the other hand, the foreign ministry in Dhaka said in a press release: “India has expressed interest in cooperating in the conservation and management of the Teesta river in Bangladesh. Bangladesh reiterated the urgency of concluding the Teesta water distribution treaty quickly."
Despite India sending a technical team, international relations analyst Munshi Foyez Ahmed does not believe that the position of the Bangladeshi government regarding financing will change overnight.
The former ambassador to China said: "We have seen this before; there have been a couple of proposals and projects that we intended to undertake with China but could not execute, such as the Matarbari deep-sea port.
"Concerns from India were mentioned, but we ended up giving it to Japan. So, these can be minor problems. However, we need to act wisely in our own interest."
A former chairman of the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies, or BIISS, Munshi Foyez added: "So far, what we are saying is that even after Kwatra expressed interest, our prime minister publicly stated that we have sought financial assistance from China in this matter.
“What does that imply?
"It means she is fairly certain that they will receive the support from [China]. Otherwise, she could have remained silent, but she did not. She publicly mentioned this even after India showed interest. Next month she is going to China. Let's see what happens."
Regarding the final decision on financing during the visit to Beijing, he commented, "I think it might happen. Nothing can be said for sure. It's true India is bringing this up at this time... there might be doubts about their intentions.
"They haven't spoken about helping us all this while. They know there is a project. They suddenly stepped forward when it was supposed to be China's turn. Many believe this is an attempt on their them to create a hindrance, but there is no benefit in doing so."
There might be potential collaboration with India in some parts of the project, Munshi Foyez said before adding: "Since they are not giving us water and have made no new assurances, we will decide what we are doing internally.
"If we see that there is an opportunity, since the project is very large, we might consider involving India in some parts of the project as a partner. This is my opinion."
