BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has called upon the Indian government not to proceed with Tipaimukh dam project until a joint survey is done. At a press conference held at the party’s headquarters at Naya Paltan on Monday, Alamgir told this referring to Indian response to Khaleda’s November 22 letter to the Indian premier. He also underscored the need for forging public opinion both nationally and internationally against the Indian move of constructing Tipaimukh Dam. He accused the present government for its failure to play due role in the Tipai issue.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has assured Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia that his country would not take any steps on the Tipaimukh hydroelectric project that would cause harm for Bangladesh.
“The Tipaimukh project would be a hydroelectric project that would help control floods and it would not involve any diversion of water for irrigation. The Indian government would not do anything that will affect Bangladesh,” Alamgir said quoting Singh’s replying.
The Indian premier, however, had given the same assurance to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during his trip to Bangladesh on September 6-7 this year, he said.
Alamgir, however, said if the Indian government implements the Tipaimukh project, the northeastern region of Bangladesh would be affected badly.
“The project is so harmful to the people of Manipur and Mizoram that they are waging movement against the implementation of the dam for 40 years,” he added.
“Bangladesh has its right to get the flow of the Barak river. The people of the country can’t trust in the Indian leaders’ assurances.
Similar assurance had been given while constructing the Farakka barrage,” Alamgir further said.
On the recent visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s advisors Mashiur Rahman and Gowher Rizvi to India, BNP leader said, “They could neither oppose the project nor protest. Rather, they said after returning to Bangladesh that the project would be helpful for Bangladesh.”
Standing committee member Abdul Moeen Khan, former water resources minister Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, BNP chairperson advisor Shamsuzzaman Dudu and the party’s joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed were also present at the press briefing.
-With The Independent input
