Delhi, Dhaka bond over transport

On the second day of her four-day trip, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, inaugurated three transport linkages between India and Bangladesh via video-conferencing from New Delhi on Saturday.

While the Kolkata-Khulna-Dhaka bus service was inaugurated from Delhi, it was flagged off from Nabanna, the state secretariat, by Bangladeshi and Indian delegates, including Mamata’s cabinet ministers. Buses will be available from Karunamoyee in Salt Lake and would cover the 409-km route in approximately 12 hours.

A new passenger service between Khulna and Kolkata and a goods train between Radhikapur and Birol stations were also inaugurated.

As many as 22 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) in key sectors including defence and civil nuclear were signed on Saturday but the long-pending Teesta waters sharing agreement has been left out subject to a discussion between Hasina and Mamata.

TMC leaders like Hakim refused to comment on the Teesta issue saying it would be decided by Mamata. “Geographically there is a border between the two countries but there is a heart-to-heart relationship between the citizens of the two countries. There are families spread across both the countries. Mamata and Hasina share a sister-like relationship and every issue would be solved. We are optimistic,” he said.

Congress MP and state party president Adhir Chowdhury said water experts of both countries should sit and discuss the issue and find a viable solution as soon as possible. “Instead of being adamant on our points, we should understand the lower riparian country and divide the resource according to availability,” Chowdhury told DNA.

CPM MLA Sujan Chakraborty too was of the opinion that there should be a way forward. “Each other’s advantages should substantiate and a discussion aimed to find a solution to this deadlock should take place. We must understand that a good relationship between the two neighbouring countries would lead to each others’ prosperity,” he told DNA.

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said he was confident that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would figure out a solution. “When our PM is dealing with the issue we can be rest assured that there will be a solution arrived at without affecting the interest of the country and West Bengal,” Ghosh told DNA.