2 advisers in Delhi
Bangladesh prime minister's advisers Gowher Rizvi and Mashiur Rahman yesterday arrived here for talks with the Indian power and water resources ministers today.
The issue of Tipaimukh hydroelectric project may come up in the discussion.
Rizvi, international affairs adviser, and Rahman, economic affairs adviser, are scheduled to meet Indian Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal.
Power sector cooperation and sharing of the waters of common rivers like the Teesta and Feni are likely to come up for discussion between the two advisors and the Indian ministers.
The plan for setting up a thermal plant in Khulna and expediting the project for inter-connecting the grids of the two countries to facilitate power supply from India to Bangladesh is also expected to come up during talks between the advisers and Shinde.
Since Shinde was present when the Promoters' Agreement was signed on October 24 between Indian government-owned National Hydro Power Corporation and Manipur state government for the 1,500MW Tipaimukh project, the issue may figure in today's meeting, sources said.
While there has been widespread concern in Bangladesh over the possible effects of Tipaimukh project on the water flow of Barak river on the lower riparian country, India has made it repeatedly clear that nothing would be done which would hurt Dhaka's interests.
New Delhi has time and again assured Dhaka that Tipaimukh is a power-generating project which does not entail diversion of Barak water and so there is no question of reduction in the river water flow downstream.
The two advisers of Hasina will also meet Indian National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon today.
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