Expedited move worries Bangladesh JS body

Expressing concern over Narendra Modi government's serious efforts to expedite the river interlinking project, a parliamentary body yesterday said they would ask the water resources ministry to collect every detail about it from India.
The parliamentary standing committee on the water resources ministry also said it would suggest that the government take proper measures at all levels to settle the much talked-about issue so that it did not harm Bangladesh's environment.
“We have come to know from media that India's new government has allocated Rs100 crore in its budget to expedite the river interlinking project, which will harm us. We will therefore ask the ministry to get a clear picture of it,” Romesh Chandra Sen, chief of the committee, told reporters after the meeting at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
India plans to link 30 rivers, including the Ganges and the Brahmaputra which flow into Bangladesh, through numerous canals mainly to divert water to its arid south-western states. Envisaged in 1980, the $100 billion project is feared to cause water shortage in Bangladesh, especially in dry period, as the two rivers provide majority of the water.
Romesh, a former water resources minister, said the committee would request the foreign ministry to communicate with India to get information about its fresh move regarding the river interlining project, which is a grave concern for Bangladesh.
In his budget speech on July 10, Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley called for serious efforts for the project, noting that the interlinking can pay “rich dividends”.
Turning to the JS body meeting, Romesh said the committee had expressed dissatisfaction at the dredging in the Gorai River, as in a recent visit to the dredging area, its members noticed that dredging was not carried out properly.