| Wrangle at the deep | | | | Abul Maal Abdul Muhit, the finance minister of |
| On October 9, 2009, Bangladesh served legal notices | | | | Bangladesh and also the founder president of the |
| to both India & Myanmar to settle the disputes over | | | | green non-governmental organizations, Bangladesh |
| maritime boundary claims before a UN tribunal as it | | | | Paribesh Andalan (BAPA) points out , `India will be |
| decided to take the issue to a compulsory arbitration | | | | worse hit than Bangladesh and so the general people |
| under the UN Convention on the Law of the sea. | | | | of India are also against the projct`. |
| India High Commission Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty and | | | | A team of parliamentary affairs committee on water |
| Myanmar Ambassador U Phae Thann Oo were called | | | | resources visited he site and said that they did not |
| into the foreign ministry and foreign secretary Mijarul | | | | notice any sign of work starting at Tipaimukh dam in |
| Quayes handed the notifications to them to pass on to | | | | the region in August. Their report was widely criticized |
| their respective governments. | | | | in the country especially by the opposition |
| `We need to delimit our maritime boundary to explore | | | | parties.People of Bangladesh have more to fear if India |
| oil, gas & other natural resources in the Bay to meet | | | | makes a barrage at Fulertala and procure water from |
| our demands, ` said Foreign Minister Dipu Moni after | | | | the river Barak, while the rivers Surma and Kushira will |
| the government’s decision to serve legal notices to | | | | become virtually dry. |
| India and Myanmar. | | | | Playing crisscross over Bangladesh |
| The dispute between the three countries over the | | | | A meeting between Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Dr |
| demarcation of the maritime boundary on the Bay of | | | | Dipu Moni and her Indian counterpart SM Krishna in |
| Bengal has been a long-standing one and tensions | | | | New Delhi on September 8, agreed on allowing India |
| initially surfaced where in November 2008, the naval | | | | transit through Bangladesh for carrying heavy |
| forces of Myanmar an Bangladesh were on the brink | | | | equipment for a power plant at Palatan, in Tripura, |
| of a confrontation at the Bay of Bengal as it was | | | | through the Ashuganj port and the use of |
| noted by Bangladesh that Myanmar had been | | | | Akhauara-Agartala road on a test case basis. |
| conducting an oil and gas exploration project – with | | | | The two countries are scheduled to sign a deal on |
| the aid of a South Korean company, Daewoo – in a | | | | India`s access to the Ashuganj port in May 2010. |
| disputed area of the sea. Nearly 50 men and four | | | | India has been seeking transit for a long time so that |
| ships were employed in the exploration work in Block | | | | India vehicales can enter Bangladesh through the |
| AD-7, excorted by two of Myanmars`s naval | | | | Benapol border and enter Bangladesh through the |
| warships. | | | | Benapol border and enter and leave the Indian states |
| India and Myanmar claimed their respective maritime | | | | Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram through Tamabil, |
| borders and have already filed their claims with the | | | | Bibirbazar and Khagrachari in Bangladesh. |
| United Nations on June 29 and May 21, respectively, | | | | New Delhi has long been pressing Dhaka for transit |
| while Bangladesh has to do this before July 27, 2011. | | | | facilities for their benefits. The access will allow India to |
| Tipaimukh threat | | | | gain in business and intervene into ongoing insurgencies |
| Another contentious issue which sparked heated | | | | in seven sister states. |
| debates and inspired nationwide consensus this year | | | | Another topic connected with the issue is the Asian |
| was the Indian government’s recently resumed | | | | Highway. Of three routes prposed by the United |
| proposal to construct the Tipaimukh dam on the | | | | Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and |
| Barak River, just a kilometer north of Jakiganj in Sylhet. | | | | the Pacific, the government has articulated its |
| The proposed work was stalled in March 2007 in the | | | | preference for the two routes, both of which begin |
| face of protests within and outside India, for not | | | | from and end in India after going through Bangladesh. |
| following international conventions on international rivers. | | | | Its preference however runs contrary to the very |
| The completion of the dam in 2012 will virtually dry up | | | | rationale behind why Bangladesh should be connected |
| the Surma and the Kushiara rivers, thus choking the | | | | with the Asian Highway, i.e. for greater |
| north-eastern regions of Bangladesh, say experts. | | | | interconnectivity. |
| Experts also believe that the Tiapimukh dam world | | | | Worryingly still, the government has kept its decision |
| adversely affect the country’s fisheries, agriculture, | | | | and plan of actions regarding the transit facility under |
| environment and water supply. | | | | wraps. |