Centre didn't consult West Bengal for renewal of 1996 Ganga water-sharing treaty: MP

A lawmaker of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress today said the Centre did not consult the state government before taking the decision to start negotiations with Bangladesh for the renewal of the 1996 Ganga water-sharing treaty.

TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee consistently opposed the Teesta water-sharing treaty with Bangladesh since she refused to sign it and opted out of the then Indian PM Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka in September, 2011.

TMC Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien talking to reporters in New Delhi today said West Bengal is a party to the treaty, but was not consulted, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

"The state is a party to the treaty. Even our dues for the previous treaty have not been cleared," O'Brien said.

He alleged, "Dredging of the Ganga has been stopped. It is the primary reason for floods and erosion. This is a plan to sell off Bengal."

After a summit with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday, Indian PM Narendra Modi said India and Bangladesh will begin technical-level talks for the renewal of the 1996 Ganga water treaty.

The Ganges water-sharing treaty was signed by the two countries in Dhaka in 1996 when the then Indian PM HD Deve Gowda and former West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu had travelled to Dhaka for the purpose. The 30-year treaty expires in 2026.

In February 2022, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had written to Modi expressing concern over the continuous erosion along the Ganga in Malda, Murshidabad and Nadia districts of the state.

In her letter, Mamata said erosion has caused the loss of thousands of square kilometres of land and sought reconsideration of the Centre's decision in 2017 to withdraw the extended jurisdiction of the Farakka Barrage Project Authority for protection of the river bank from further erosion.

Bihar has blamed the Farakka barrage for increased siltation on several occasions. In 2016, at a meeting chaired by PM Modi, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar demanded the removal of the Farakka barrage saying it has more disadvantages than benefits.