Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, adviser to the Ministries of Local Government, Rural Development, Cooperatives, and Youth & Sports, announced today that the government will negotiate from a position of strength to ensure a fair share of Teesta River water.

Speaking at a public hearing titled "Actions on Teesta River" at the Teesta Rail Bridge area in Kaunia upazila of Rangpur this afternoon, Asif emphasised the interim government's commitment to resolving the long-standing water-sharing issue with India.

He said that diplomatic pressure would be applied in accordance with international water laws to compel India to sign the long-pending Teesta agreement.

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Teesta water issue has to be solved

"Since 2011, Bangladesh has been pushing for a draft agreement to secure its fair share of Teesta water. Unlike the submissive foreign policy of the previous Hasina-led government, which failed to achieve any results, we will stand firm in negotiations," he said.

He also criticised the former Awami League administration, alleging that despite taking up the Teesta issue, it failed to implement any effective measures.

During the public hearing, local residents voiced concerns over the prolonged delay in implementing the Teesta Master Plan and urged the current government to take immediate action.

The adviser further announced special allocations to improve communication infrastructure in northern Bangladesh and initiatives to establish cold storage facilities to ensure fair prices for farmers.

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The event was attended by Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change & Water Resources; Rangpur Divisional Commissioner Shahidul Islam; Additional Secretary of the Water Resources Ministry A K M Tariqul Islam; river researcher Nazrul Islam Haqqani; and Atik Mujahid, a faculty member at Northern University.