Prime Minister Shiekh Hasina Thursday said experts will scrutinize the data and information provided by India about Tipaimukh Dam to assess its environmental and socioeconomic impacts on Bangladesh, and assured that her government would not support anything that might harm the country’s interests.
She made the remarks when the parliamentary delegation that went recently to visit the proposed Tipaimukh Dam site led by Abdur Razzak MP met her at the PM Office Thursday noon to apprise her about the outcome of their visit.
The Prime Minister said experts will scrutinize the data and information given by the Indian government regarding the Tipaimukh Dam to assess its environmental and socioeconomic impacts on Bangladesh.
She said every environmental aspect of the Tipaimukh Dam, including water flow and its availability in Barak and other rivers, the possibility of floods and other natural calamities because of any structure on the Barak River, will be analyzed and examined by the experts. “If anything found harmful to Bangladesh after the studies, there would be talks with the Indian government to settle the issues,” she said. The studies will be conducted on regular basis and its results will be provided to the Joint River Commission (JRC), she said. Sheikh Hasina hoped that every matter regarding Tipaikmukh will be resolved through talks with India.
Abdur Razzak MP, also the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources Ministry, apprised the Prime Minister that Indian authorities have provided them with all information and data as per their requirements.
He said the Indian side has also assured them of providing all necessary additional information in the future, if Bangladesh wants.
“Besides, talks between Bangladesh and India over the Tipaimukh Dam issue will continue in the future,” Razzak said. The Parliamentary Committee members informed the Prime Minister that they saw no structure or construction in the Tipaimukh site as the construction of Tipaimukh Dam still remains at the feasibility study level and nothing has been finalized yet.
The committee was also told by the Indian authorities that no irrigation project, except a hydroelectric project, will be implemented in the Tipaimukh site, as India wants to continue its friendly relations with Bangladesh.
Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad briefed newsmen after the meeting.
The other members of the committee, including Abdur Rahman MP, Ruhul Amin Hawlader MP and Fazlul Azim MP, Ambassador Ziauddin, were present at the meeting.
Courtesy of UNB, Dhaka
Photo: PID
