Muhith defends experts' list on Tipai

Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday defended a list sent to India in February of ten Bangladeshi experts to conduct a joint study on Tipaimukh dam project.
The list excluded renowned experts like Prof Jamilur Reza Chowdhury and Prof Ainun Nishat.
Justifying the team formation, Muhith yesterday argued, "Many people are criticising the list of experts but the fact is some of the renowned experts (who are excluded) are engaged in other works so they cannot make time for the study."
The ten-member team is mostly comprised of government officials from ministries of water resources and foreign affairs, the Water Development Board, the Centre for Environment and Geographical Information Services and the Institute of Water Modelling.
The finance minister was making his points on the issue before journalists at his secretariat office yesterday.
The government sent the list in response to a proposal by India but has not yet received any reply.
Muhith also said there were two segments in the Tipaimukh dam project-- one for building a reservoir for generating electricity and the other for construction of a dam.
He said India had promised Bangladesh that it would not construct the dam but go for hydropower project. India has proposed that Bangladesh invest in the power scheme, he added.