Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina makes it clear that she is not waiting for India’s assurance on the Teesta River water sharing deal and has opened measures to address the water issue.
She made the remark at a news conference on Wednesday meant to brief on her official visit to India last week.
“I don’t rely on anybody on anything. I am working on our water system, which includes dredging rivers, building reservoir and ponds, so that we can preserve water,” she said.
On India’s assurance of the deal, she said, “They made a commitment and so wait for it. And is it like that, we can’t manage without water for them? We are working on our own. We are trying to solve water crisis by ourselves.”
Referring to Indian foreign minister’s recent remarks that they were considering West Bengal’s alternative proposal of sharing waters of four other rivers, the prime minister said, “We don’t need to know that now. That’s their internal issue and let it be like that. If you want to know, ask them.”
Asked whether Teesta was discussed during her talks, she said “all bilateral issues” were part of the parley.
“I went there to inaugurate Bangladesh Bhaban, so I concentrated on that. There’s the Joint River Commission and Teesta is being discussed there,” said Hasina.