Farakka Water Treaty renewal will impact both Bengal & Bihar: Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Monday, claimed that the renewal of the Indo-Bangladesh Farakka Treaty (1996) - which is set to expire in 2026 - will not only impact West Bengal but also the neighbouring statement of Bihar.

“If the Farakka Treaty is renewed Bihar will also be equally affected by floods like West Bengal. It is unfortunate that the main stakeholders like the West Bengal government were not consulted by the Union government before taking any decision on the treaty,” the Chief Minister told media persons.

The Chief Minister also criticised the Union government for carrying forward talks with Bangladesh for Teesta River water sharing. “If Teesta River water is shared with Bangladesh, then there will be drinking water scarcity in different parts of North Bengal,” the Chief Minister said.

She also launched a scathing attack against the Union and neighbouring Sikkim governments and held them responsible for the frequent flood situations in North Bengal.

“The Union government should have monitored the installation of hydro-power projects in Sikkim. The people of North Bengal are suffering now because of that. Even the Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts are flooded every year by water flowing in from neighbouring Bhutan. The Union government has been neglecting these issues for a long time,” the Chief Minister said.

Chief Minister last month wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting the latter not to take decisions on Farakka Treaty renewal or Teesta River water sharing without consulting the West Bengal government.

“The interest of the people in West Bengal is paramount which should not be compromised at any cost,” the letter added.