No deal on Teesta this time, too
New Delhi: The crucial Teesta water-sharing agreement, negotiated over nearly 20 years, still remained unsettled as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is opposed to it.
The Teesta issue was left out of the agenda although Bangladesh and India on Saturday signed 22 bilateral documents, covering diverse areas of cooperation, including economic, defence cooperation, power, peaceful use of nuclear energy, outer space, information technology and mass media.
The Teesta is one of cross-boundary rivers between Bangladesh and India.
The latest draft of the agreement was prepared by Dr Manmohan Singh's government. It divides the waters of the Teesta equally between Bangladesh and India. Teesta originates in Sikkim and flows through West Bengal into Bangladesh.
In 2011, Dr Singh was preparing to sign the treaty during a trip to Dhaka, but at the last minute, Mamata stepped back stating that the terms were damaging for her state.
However, Modi at a joint statement said the Teesta issue will be resolved. "We two governments can do it."