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The Joint Rivers Commission, or JRC, officials have sat to discuss issues linked to the distribution of water from common rivers between India and Bangladesh amid tension.
The two-day meeting kicked off with Mohammad Abul Hossen leading the 11-member Bangladesh contingent in Kolkata on Thursday.
Sharad Chandra, Commissioner for Flood Management in India, is heading the Indian team in the meeting.
Water Resources Secretary Nazmul Ahsan said: “It’s a regular JRC meeting, held between Bangladesh and India in turns. According to that, it’s being held in Kolkata this time.”
“[The meeting will discuss] progress in the ongoing activities between us and advancing work in different locations,” he added.
After the fall of the Awami League regime on Aug 5 in the face of the mass uprising, Muhammad Yunus took over as chief advisor of the interim government.
As Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina fled to India, several senior leaders of the party were arrested, but most of them remain in hiding.
Meanwhile, the interim government moved to put Hasina and her accomplices on trial at the International Crimes Tribunal on charges of “mass killings” carried out in their effort to thwart the movement by students and public.
Hasina, who is still in India, has multiple arrest warrants against her.
The interim government sent a “diplomatic letter” to its neighbouring counterpart on Dec 23 asking to return Hasina to Bangladesh under an “extradite deal”.
Hasina’s departure from Bangladesh sparked tension between the neighbouring countries as the interim government alleged her of “trying to destabilise” the India-Bangladesh relationship.
The interim government also accused the Indian media of spreading “lies and misinformation”.
The Indian government, on the other hand, expressed worries about the safety of the religious minorities in Bangladesh and wants the South Asian country to take steps to ensure security.
With statements from either side on these issues, both governments have resorted to diplomatic summons over problems at the borders and Hasina’s statement.
At a time like this, the JRC meeting is being seen as a crucial episode in normalising the relationship between the countries.
In the meantime, a Bangladeshi team recently visited the Farakka Barrage area as part of a regular gauging trip to assess whether India was properly providing the promised water under the Ganga Treaty.
Nazmul said: “For example, if we have some borders, the work there requires BGB-BSF operations. If we want to work within 150 metres [zero point], we need their consent and so do they. Some of these issues are being taken forward through discussions.”
Highlighting the fact that the two countries have resolved this issue in the past while working at different points in the Feni River, Nazmul said some issues have been taken up by the JRC “lower level” team.
“Our technical committee is a stage above this. Above that, there is a secretary-level committee with an advisory or ministerial-level committee over it. Therefore, we can say it’s a very initial stage.” he said.