Dhaka parties spar over Tipaimukh Dam
Dhaka, June 19: Bangladesh's political parties continue to spar over a river valley project India is planning in its northeastern region as New Delhi awaits a parliamentary team accompanied by experts to visit the project site.
Finance Minister A.M.A. Muhith Friday urged "all to be aware" of any movement against the Tipaimukh dam project "by a certain quarter to gain its political interest," Star Online web site said.
Muhith criticised the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for not protesting against the Indian plans although the latter had completed the design and detailed studies and floated an international tender during the BNP-Jamaat rule (2001-06).
Addressing the "National Tipaimukh Dam Conference 2009", the finance minister, among the most experienced ministers in Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government, said public opinion could have been mobilised earlier.
India is planning to build the dam over the Barak river in Manipur state, upstream of Bangladesh where the river, part of the gigantic Brahmaputra river system, is called Meghna.
The minister joined the debate as opposition parties, environmentalists and NGOs are building up protests that are similar that raged for long over India's dam over the Ganga at Farakka.
The two South Asian neighbours signed a bilateral treaty in 1997 that provides for India releasing more water to the lower riparian neighbour, particularly during the summer months.
The BNP, led by opposition leader and two-term prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, has accused the Hasina government of a "sell-out" and working against the national interest - a common refrain on projects and issues pertaining to India.
BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain last Tuesday asked people to raise their voices against the Hasina government "as it is mum about the Indian plan", the website of the Daily Star newspaper said.
Tipaimukh is linked to the Asian Highway, an United Nations - Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) project that Dhaka is preparing to join, upturning the earlier policy of the Zia government.
Hossain alleged that the Hasina government "is now trying to help (India to) complete them (the projects)".
India has in the last four years "refrained from sharing technical information" with Bangladesh, "triggering public uncertainty and outcry over its possible negative impact on the neighbouring country" (Bangladesh), the website said.
The proposal for a visit by a parliamentary team was made last month by New Delhi and accepted by Dhaka.
While India has not started construction, it floated an international tender in 2005 and opened the bid in 2006.
Source: Indo-Asian News Service
Another Story:
Dhaka, June 19: Many people are trying to reap political gains from the so-called Tipaimukh Dam movement, the finance minister AMA Muhith has alleged.
Speaking at National Tipaimukh Dam Conference 2009 at the auditorium of Institution of Engineers, Banglaesh in the capital on Friday, he proposed a regional forum based on river basin to resolve crisis involving river.
Muhith said three things should be kept in mind while constructing Tipaimukh Dam-– whether biodiversity will be affected, whether the risk of an earthquake will increase because of a big dam and whether the natural flow of Barak river will be affected or not.
He said he would know about these things after the visit of the parliamentary representative committee at Tipaimukh lead by Awami League MP leader Abdur Razzak.
Foreign minister Dipu Moni told the reporters on Friday that a delegation would soon visit India.
At the same time she said India had recently provided Bangladesh with information on the proposed Tipaimukh Dam
Some political parties as well as water resource experts apprehend an environmental disaster in the greater Sylhet region of Bangladesh in the wake of the proposed Tipaimukh Dam
But New Delhi holds that the hydroelectric project would not pose any barrier to the availability of water downstream.
He said the talk of constructing Tipaimukh dam was first raised at the meeting of the Joint River Commission in 1972 and 73.
Later in the meeting of the commission in 2003 and 2005 the opinion of Bangladesh was sought about the plans of India. But the then government did not say anything, he said
"In 2004, we opposed this project in the trans-boundary river convention. But now we observe that many are trying to curry favour in the name of movement.
Muhith proposed an 'executive board on river basin' to monitor the river basins of the region including those of Bangladesh, India, Bhutan, Nepal and China.
"They are opposing Tipaimukh from the viewpoint of opposing India. We will have to be aware of them," he said.
"The issue of our right over water flow will supersede our loss in the construction of Tipaimukh Dam," said Workers Party chief Rashed Khan Menon MP, elected from Awami League-led Grand Alliance.
The vast regions of Manipur, Mizoram and Assam will be damaged along with Bangladesh, said general secretary of Bangladesher Communist Party Mujahidul Islam Selim.
"The Indian government will have to bear the consequences if the bilateral ties between the two countries are at stake," he cautioned
"This dam will cause disaster to the agro-based culture of riverine Bangladesh," said Hilal Uddin, chief coordinator of the preparation committee of the convention.
"There are many dangers of a big dam. It drowns human habitation, increases the risks of water-borne diseases and earthquake, causes diseases from gas created from water logging and decreases siltation," he said
Uddin said the natural flows of the rivers Surma, Kushiara and Meghna will also be affected because of the dam.
Source: www.bdnew24.com
Finance Minister A.M.A. Muhith Friday urged "all to be aware" of any movement against the Tipaimukh dam project "by a certain quarter to gain its political interest," Star Online web site said.
Muhith criticised the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for not protesting against the Indian plans although the latter had completed the design and detailed studies and floated an international tender during the BNP-Jamaat rule (2001-06).
Addressing the "National Tipaimukh Dam Conference 2009", the finance minister, among the most experienced ministers in Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government, said public opinion could have been mobilised earlier.
India is planning to build the dam over the Barak river in Manipur state, upstream of Bangladesh where the river, part of the gigantic Brahmaputra river system, is called Meghna.
The minister joined the debate as opposition parties, environmentalists and NGOs are building up protests that are similar that raged for long over India's dam over the Ganga at Farakka.
The two South Asian neighbours signed a bilateral treaty in 1997 that provides for India releasing more water to the lower riparian neighbour, particularly during the summer months.
The BNP, led by opposition leader and two-term prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, has accused the Hasina government of a "sell-out" and working against the national interest - a common refrain on projects and issues pertaining to India.
BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain last Tuesday asked people to raise their voices against the Hasina government "as it is mum about the Indian plan", the website of the Daily Star newspaper said.
Tipaimukh is linked to the Asian Highway, an United Nations - Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) project that Dhaka is preparing to join, upturning the earlier policy of the Zia government.
Hossain alleged that the Hasina government "is now trying to help (India to) complete them (the projects)".
India has in the last four years "refrained from sharing technical information" with Bangladesh, "triggering public uncertainty and outcry over its possible negative impact on the neighbouring country" (Bangladesh), the website said.
The proposal for a visit by a parliamentary team was made last month by New Delhi and accepted by Dhaka.
While India has not started construction, it floated an international tender in 2005 and opened the bid in 2006.
Source: Indo-Asian News Service
Another Story:
Dhaka, June 19: Many people are trying to reap political gains from the so-called Tipaimukh Dam movement, the finance minister AMA Muhith has alleged.
Speaking at National Tipaimukh Dam Conference 2009 at the auditorium of Institution of Engineers, Banglaesh in the capital on Friday, he proposed a regional forum based on river basin to resolve crisis involving river.
Muhith said three things should be kept in mind while constructing Tipaimukh Dam-– whether biodiversity will be affected, whether the risk of an earthquake will increase because of a big dam and whether the natural flow of Barak river will be affected or not.
He said he would know about these things after the visit of the parliamentary representative committee at Tipaimukh lead by Awami League MP leader Abdur Razzak.
Foreign minister Dipu Moni told the reporters on Friday that a delegation would soon visit India.
At the same time she said India had recently provided Bangladesh with information on the proposed Tipaimukh Dam
Some political parties as well as water resource experts apprehend an environmental disaster in the greater Sylhet region of Bangladesh in the wake of the proposed Tipaimukh Dam
But New Delhi holds that the hydroelectric project would not pose any barrier to the availability of water downstream.
He said the talk of constructing Tipaimukh dam was first raised at the meeting of the Joint River Commission in 1972 and 73.
Later in the meeting of the commission in 2003 and 2005 the opinion of Bangladesh was sought about the plans of India. But the then government did not say anything, he said
"In 2004, we opposed this project in the trans-boundary river convention. But now we observe that many are trying to curry favour in the name of movement.
Muhith proposed an 'executive board on river basin' to monitor the river basins of the region including those of Bangladesh, India, Bhutan, Nepal and China.
"They are opposing Tipaimukh from the viewpoint of opposing India. We will have to be aware of them," he said.
"The issue of our right over water flow will supersede our loss in the construction of Tipaimukh Dam," said Workers Party chief Rashed Khan Menon MP, elected from Awami League-led Grand Alliance.
The vast regions of Manipur, Mizoram and Assam will be damaged along with Bangladesh, said general secretary of Bangladesher Communist Party Mujahidul Islam Selim.
"The Indian government will have to bear the consequences if the bilateral ties between the two countries are at stake," he cautioned
"This dam will cause disaster to the agro-based culture of riverine Bangladesh," said Hilal Uddin, chief coordinator of the preparation committee of the convention.
"There are many dangers of a big dam. It drowns human habitation, increases the risks of water-borne diseases and earthquake, causes diseases from gas created from water logging and decreases siltation," he said
Uddin said the natural flows of the rivers Surma, Kushiara and Meghna will also be affected because of the dam.
Source: www.bdnew24.com
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