The scheduled meeting of the Joint River Commission (JRC) between Bangladesh and India in Dhaka on June 18-19 has been postponed due to Indian Water Resources Minister’s inability to attend the meeting. “Indian Water Resources Minister Harish Chandra Singh Rawat has informed his Bangladeshi counterpart Romesh Chandra Sen that he is unable to attend the meeting due to domestic pressing engagements,” a senior Foreign Ministry official told The Independent on Sunday afternoon.
“The development caught us by surprise as we took all preparations for the meeting,” said another government official.
About the reasons behind the postponement of the meeting, the officials said that New Delhi had mentioned internal engagements as the reasons for the postponement.
The Indian Cabinet reshuffle, which will take place on Monday, might have played a role in this regard, they added.
The issues relating to Teesta water sharing agreement and Tipaimukh dam were to be dominated at the 38th JRC meeting. The 37th meeting was held in New Delhi in March, 2010 in New Delhi.
-With The Independent input
