The Centre on Tuesday rejected what it called the ”false claim” made by the West Bengal Government that it was not consulted on the Internal Review of the India-Bangladesh Treaty of 1996 on Sharing of the Ganga/Ganges Waters at Farakka.
”On 24 July 2023, the Government of India sought the nominee of the WB Government in the Committee for carrying out an Internal Review of the India-Bangladesh Treaty of 1996 on Sharing of the Ganga/Ganges Waters at Farakka,” official sources said.
Sources claimed that on 25 August 2023, the WB Government conveyed the nomination of Chief Engineer (Design & Research), Irrigation & Waterways Directorate, Government of West Bengal, for the panel.
Sources said that on 5 April 2024, the Joint Secretary (Works), Irrigation & Waterways Department of the WB Government, conveyed its total demand for the next 30 years from the stretch downstream of the Farakka Barrage.
The Centre’s statement came a day after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee resented the reported discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina over the sharing of the water of Ganga and Teesta, bypassing the state government.