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Sheikh Hasina in Agartala on Wednesday. (UB Photos)
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Jan. 11: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today appealed to India to be “more generous and considerate to smaller neighbours”, saying this would boost friendship between the two countries.
“India can help us in water management, power, transport and communication,” she said during her maiden visit to Tripura, adding that this would usher in development not only in Bangladesh but also in the Northeast.
Although Hasina did not mention the Teesta, India had last year put a treaty to share the river’s water on hold because of objections from Mamata Banerjee. The chief minister had said the Bengal government had not been consulted before the deal draft was finalised. She feels a 50-50 water-sharing deal will hurt north Bengal.
During a meeting with business leaders in Agartalathis evening, the Bangladesh Prime Minister sought a share of the 726MW of power that ONGC would produce at its Palatana thermal plant in south Tripura. “We allowed ONGC’s heavy machinery and equipment to pass through Bangladesh last year and we demand a share of power from this project as partner,” Hasina said.
The Centre this evening invited Bangladesh to invest in hydel power projects in the Northeast, adding that such joint ventures would help the neighbouring country tide over its power scarcity.
The request, made around the same time that Hasina was speaking at the business meet, was aimed at “placating any misgivings that Dhaka may have regarding the planned Tipaimukh hydroelectric project” in Manipur, sources in Delhi said.
The Bangladeshi Opposition led by Khaleda Zia have expressed fears that the dam at Tipaimukh will be ecologically harmful for the country and hurt its farmers as the dam will divert the Barak river. India says the Tipaimukh project is run of the river.
“The participation of Bangladesh in power projects in India, particularly in the northeastern states, will be welcome,” said Indian external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin.
In Tripura, Hasina said her government was trying to put in place a mechanism in which India would be able to access the Chittagong and Mongla sea ports and the Ashuganj river port. She hinted that Bangladesh might consider allowing India the right to tranship goods “when proper conditions are created” but did not elaborate.
“There have been major developments in transport and communication between India and Bangladesh. The Calcutta-Dhaka bus and railway connectivity and the Agartala-Dhaka bus service have been established and the Akhaura-Agartala railway link will be established soon,” she said.
Hasina said better transport and communication facilities, especially with Bhutan, Nepal and the Northeast, topped her list of priorities. She invited Indian investment in the power, information technology and health sectors, among others, with the promise of incentives.
Describing her visit to Delhi two years ago and Manmohan Singh’s trip to Dhaka last year as “successful”, Hasina said several problems had been resolved but many remained. “A relationship based on mutual co-operation will help resolve all pending issues, including border demarcation and enclaves, and economic development.”
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