Away from Teesta water sharing, over which Bangladesh and India have been in a deadlock for years, the latter now focuses on water conservation and management of the river inside Bangladesh.

The development came as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi held one-on-one and delegation-level meetings at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi yesterday.

Briefing reporters after the meetings, Modi said India would send a technical team to Bangladesh to review the protection and management of the Teesta.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra then said a technical team has been formed to look into how Bangladesh can conserve Teesta water with Indian assistance.

Conservation of the Teesta requires technical management, Kwatra said, adding: "It is less about the water sharing part, but more about management of water flow within the Teesta river."

It is the understanding between the two leaders that a technical team would undertake efforts to make progress on this, he said.

Dhaka and Delhi almost signed a deal on sharing the Teesta water in 2011, but it did not happen due to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's last-minute objections.

People in the northern part of Bangladesh have for years been suffering from floods in monsoon and water scarcity in winter.

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Modi welcomes Hasina at Hyderabad House to hold bilateral talks

At the joint briefing, Hasina and Modi agreed to a shared vision for the two countries as well as cooperation to make the region prosperous and stable.

Hasina said, "Today, our two sides had very productive meetings where we discussed politics and security, trade and connectivity, the sharing of water from common rivers, power and energy, and regional and multilateral cooperation, among other issues of mutual interest.

"We agreed to collaborate with each other for the betterment of our people and countries… We charted the future course of action to ensure a smart Bangladesh by following Vision 2041 and Viksit Bharat by 2047."

Modi said Bangladesh "lies at the confluence of our 'Neighbourhood First' policy, Act East Policy, Vision SAGAR and the Indo-Pacific Vision".

Noting that the two countries completed many important projects for public welfare in the last year alone, he said, "I reiterate India's commitment to realising Bangabandhu's vision of a stable, prosperous and progressive Bangladesh."

The two leaders witnessed the signing of 10 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs).

It was Hasina and Modi's first bilateral meeting after the January 7 election in Bangladesh. For India, it was the first visit by the head of a foreign government after the national elections there.

Hasina's two-day visit on June 21-22 took place before her planned visit to China in early July.

RIVERS

The two countries have decided to start talks at the technical level for the renewal of the Ganges River treaty that will expire next year.

In 2020, Bangladesh requested China to support the implementation of a nearly $1 billion Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project. China showed interest at the time.

The project was discussed at yesterday's meeting, Kwatra said.

There are 54 transboundary rivers between Bangladesh and India. The two countries have a water sharing treaty regarding the Ganges only.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) issued separate statements later.

The Indian statement said, "Recognising the importance of water resource management in our bilateral relationship, we will continue to engage in prioritising the exchange of data and formulating the framework for interim water sharing based on the recommendations of the Joint Rivers Commission."

MOFA in its statement said Bangladesh also reiterated the early conclusion of Teesta Water Sharing Treaty.  

Asked about this, former ambassador M Humayun Kabir told this correspondent the idea of conservation and management of the Teesta is fine, but ignoring the sharing of water means ignoring the fundamental rights of Bangladeshi people.

"The share of Teesta water is important as it has larger implications," he said.

OTHER MATTERS

Addressing the joint press briefing, Modi said with focus on connectivity, commerce, and collaboration in the last 10 years, the two countries restored the connectivity that existed before 1965.

"We will now focus on digital and energy connectivity even more. This will speed up the economies of both countries," he said.

Modi welcomed Bangladesh's decision to join the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative. "We will also continue our cooperation in other regional and international forums."

The Indian premier said the two leaders had detailed discussions from defence production to modernisation of armed forces and decided to strengthen cooperation over counterterrorism, fundamentalism and peaceful management of the border.

The MEA statement said both the countries will explore defence industrial cooperation for modernisation of the Armed Forces of Bangladesh, to strengthen its capability for defence, and work closely for military engagements of exercises, training and capability development.

As part of sub-regional connectivity initiatives, India will extend transit facilities for movement of Bangladesh goods to Nepal and Bhutan through railway network, it added.

India will continue to expand power and energy collaboration and the countries will together develop intra-regional electricity trade, including competitively-priced power generated from clean energy projects in India, Nepal and Bhutan, through the Indian electricity grid.

"Based on availability and to the best of its abilities, India will also support Bangladesh with supply of essential commodities." 

Describing India as Bangladesh's major neighbour, trusted friend, and regional partner, Hasina said Bangladesh greatly values the relations with India.

She recalled with gratitude India's contribution to Bangladesh's independence.

Hasina invited Modi to visit Bangladesh.

She also called on Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar in New Delhi before leaving for Dhaka last night.

Meanwhile, Vinay Kwatra made several announcements including the introduction of e-visa for patients from Bangladesh.

At the media briefing, he said India takes the issues of fatalities or injuries at the border with great sensitivity and it has been taking measures to ensure that the fatalities are reduced. The measures include using non-lethal weapons.

Kwatra said that the two leaders at the meeting discussed the Rohingya crisis, which affects both Bangladesh and Myanmar. India offered assistance in the past and will continue to do so in the future.

He said the two countries agreed to commence negotiation on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement that will include the issues of tariff, inclusion of new goods and services in trading.

M Humayun Kabir told The Daily Star that it was not clear what the framework for Bangladesh to join India's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative would be.