Why Modi could not reach a solid agreement on Teesta water in 10 years, why is Hasina not able to wash away the stain of being India’s puppet

New Delhi : The dispute over the water of the Teesta river began at the time of the partition of India in 1947. At that time, the All India Muslim League had raised the demand from the Border Commission headed by Sir Radcliffe to include Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri in the then East Pakistan. However, the Congress and Hindu Mahasabha opposed it. In view of this opposition, the Border Commission handed over most of the Teesta to India. When Bangladesh was formed in 1971, the issue of sharing the Teesta was raised again. In 1972, the India-Bangladesh Joint River Commission was formed for this. After the agreement on the water of the Ganges in 1996, the demand for sharing the water of the Teesta gained momentum, since then this issue has been in controversy. 10 agreements were signed regarding Teesta between Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who recently visited India, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A technical team from India will be sent to Bangladesh for the conservation and management of the Teesta river.

From Manmohan to Modi, a compromise almost came to an end

After the Ganga Agreement, a joint committee of experts was formed to study other rivers. Giving importance to Teesta, this committee presented a draft of the agreement in 2000. In 2010, both the countries approved the final draft of the agreement. During the visit of the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Dhaka in 2011, a new formula for sharing the water of this river was agreed upon between the two countries, but due to Mamata’s opposition, this agreement could not be reached. When Narendra Modi became PM in 2014, a year later, i.e. in June 2015, he/she went to Bangladesh with Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. During this time, both the leaders had assured Bangladesh of an agreement on the sharing of Teesta. But despite 9 years having passed, the Teesta river water agreement has not been resolved yet.

Why is Hasina not able to wash away the stains with the water of Teesta

According to Delhi University professor Rajeev Ranjan Giri, the issue of sharing of Teesta water has become very important for Hasina. Bangladesh’s opposition parties have been accusing Hasina of being India’s puppet regarding Teesta. In such a situation, she could have washed away this stain on herself by making an agreement on Teesta water. According to Rajeev Ranjan Giri, in protest against the Teesta agreement not being reached, the Bangladesh government had also banned the export of Hilsa fish coming from the Padma river for a long time, but Mamata did not agree. Now this agreement will reduce some allegations on Hasina, but the implementation of the entire agreement is still a distant dream.

PM Modi and Sheikh Hasina will discuss Teesta! China also has an evil eye on the project, will India be able to defeat the dragon?

The story of Teesta from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal

The Teesta River originates from the Himalayan peaks in Sikkim. The Teesta River originates from the Pahunri glacier of the Himalayas near the place where the Kangse and Zemu glaciers start melting and together form the Tso Lhamo lake and starts flowing with a gurgling sound. The Teesta appears in its full glory near the Rangeet river near the Teesta market in Darjeeling. From there it flows into West Bengal and from here it enters Bangladesh. Later, the Teesta joins the Brahmaputra, where this river is called Jamuna. After this, it merges into the sea in the Bay of Bengal. Let us understand this dispute from the graphic given below.

Teesta river originates from the body of Goddess Parvati

According to Hindu Puranas, the Teesta river originated from the body of Goddess Parvati. Teesta means Tri-Sota i.e. a river with three sources or three flows. Many folklore of the Northeast is also associated with Teesta. Especially for the Lepcha tribe of Sikkim, this river is considered very sacred. In folklore, many love stories have blossomed on the banks of Teesta.

414 km journey, highest flow in India

The journey of Teesta is 414 km long, starting from the high peaks of the Himalayas in Sikkim to the Bay of Bengal. Teesta flows 305 km in India, while it travels 109 km in Bangladesh. Teesta travels 150 km in Sikkim, 123 km in West Bengal and about 140 km in Bangladesh. After Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna, Teesta is the fourth largest river flowing through India and Bangladesh.

The King of Nepal surrendered to the British

In 1815, an agreement was signed between the King of Nepal and the East India Company regarding the water of the Teesta River. Then the King handed over the control of a large part of the river to the British. 12 years after Bangladesh’s independence, an agreement was signed between the two countries in 1983. 36% of the water went to Bangladesh and the rest to India. But for the last 41 years, this river has become a big issue between India and Bangladesh.

Why Teesta matters to everyone, what is the math

Professor Rajeev Ranjan Giri of Delhi University says that 14 percent of Bangladesh’s area is dependent on the water of the Teesta river for irrigation. This provides direct employment to 7.3 percent of the population there. In West Bengal, Teesta is very important for the farmers of Jalpaiguri, South Dinajpur and Darjeeling for irrigation. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee would not want to anger the farmers of North Bengal under any circumstances. On the other hand, Bangladesh is dependent on Teesta for its paddy production. About 2 crore population of Bangladesh depends on it.

Where is the problem with Teesta and what is the catch?

Between December and March, the flow of water in this river reduces. Due to this, fishermen and farmers in Bangladesh have to look for other employment options for a few months. On the other hand, the West Bengal government says that it cannot give more water of Teesta to Bangladesh from its barrage. Actually, Bangladesh wants rights over 50 percent of Teesta water. Whereas India itself wants to use 55 percent of the river’s water. Rajiv Ranjan says that if there was a solid agreement on the Teesta river, then West Bengal would not be able to use its water as per its wish. That is why Mamata keeps a distance from any such solid agreement. This is a political issue. That is why she has also expressed her displeasure after the agreement that was made recently.

Why is China interested in Teesta

Actually, China is working with the aim of encircling India. It has made strategic agreements with Pakistan, Nepal and even Sri Lanka around India. China had shown interest in the management of the Teesta river. It is waiting for Bangladesh to give it the green signal. This project of China is very close to India’s strategically important ‘Chicken Neck’ in the Northeast region. Chicken Neck (Siliguri Corridor) is like a narrow corridor about 28 km long located in West Bengal, which connects the northeastern states of India with the rest of India. This is the reason why India wants to keep China away from this area. Sheikh Hasina is going to visit Beijing in July. Before that, India has won a big battle by making this agreement with Hasina. However, now everyone’s eyes will be on Hasina’s visit to China.