Teesta deal in 3 months

 

Finance Minister AMA Muhith and Water Resources Minister Ramesh Chandra Sen have expressed hope that the stalled treaty on sharing of Teesta water will be signed within three months. “I am not disappointed as the deal was only delayed,” Muhith on Wednesday said, adding that he expects a restored Teesta water-sharing agreement will be signed in the next three months. The hoped- for deal on water sharing was postponed because of last- minute objections from the Indian state Paschimbanga, prompting visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to term the debacle unfortunate. The setback has undermined the much-orchestrated visit by Manmohan while it has come as a major obstacle to signing agreements on facilitating transit to India. Terming the sharing of Teesta water the most important issue for the government, Muhith anticipated that it will take up to three months to ink the Teesta deal. Asked if there would be further talks on the deal, he told reporters at the Secretariat that discussions are still on and there will be more. Water Resources Minister Ramesh Chandra Sen said, “We are not frustrated. We hope that we will reach an agreement on sharing Teesta water within three months. “Paschimbanga Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will take part in a by-election soon. So, she is in trouble. We hope she will respond positively to the Teesta issue after the polls,” Ramesh added.