Amid widespread resentment in Bangladesh, India officially admitted on Tuesday of signing an agreement for setting up a hydro-electric project at Tipaimukh in the state of Manipur.
In response to concern expressed in Bangladesh media over the development on Tipaimukh dam construction, the official spokesperson of the ministry of external affairs (MEA) came up with a statement on Tuesday after four days of mysterious silence.
Bangladesh on Tuesday urged India to hold consultations and share all relevant information of Tipaimukh project before New Delhi goes ahead with its plan to build dam on the common river.
The spokesperson said a ‘Promoter’s Agreement’ has been signed with the purpose of setting up a joint venture company (JVC) between the government of Manipur, NHPC Ltd. and Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (SJVN) on October 22.
“The JVC will be established under the name and style of “Tipaimukh Hydroelectric Corporation Limited” or any other name as approved by the concerned Registrar of companies,” the statement, which is available in the MEA website, said.
It would be recalled that a 10-member Bangladesh parliamentary delegation led by Abdur Razzak, former water resources minister and current chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources, had visited India in July 2009 at the invitation of government of India, the spokesperson said.
“It had been clarified to the delegation that the proposed project was a hydro-electric project with provision to control floods and that this would not involve diversion of water on account of irrigation,” the statement said.
Subsequently, it said during the visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in January 2010, “our Prime Minister had reiterated the assurance that India would not take steps on the Tipaimukh project that would adversely impact on Bangladesh. The assurance was again reiterated during the visit of our Prime Minister to Bangladesh in September 2011”.
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