India and Bangladesh are hopeful that the issue of Teesta river water will be resolved after the West Bengal elections. According to Dhaka Tribune, Senior Secretary of Ministry of Water Resources Kabir Bin Anwar said that India has assured that the decision on Teesta agreement may be implemented soon after the state elections.

‘Bangladesh and India are determined to save the river,’ the newspaper quoted Anwar as saying.

A secretary-level meeting on this crucial issue under the framework of the Joint Rivers Commission was earlier held in New Delhi.

While Water Resources Secretary Pankaj Kumar led the Indian delegation in the meeting, Anwar led the Bangladesh delegation.

While former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was keen to sign the Teesta water agreement in 2011, the move was vehemently opposed by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

Banerjee has maintained that if the treaty is signed, West Bengal will not get a single drop.

Indian High Commission to Bangladesh Vikram Doraiswami has repeatedly said that while New Delhi is keen to sign the agreement, the state government of West Bengal has remained firm on its opposition to the move.

The river, which originates in the Himalayas in Sikkim flows through West Bengal and finally entering Bangladesh. The river water holds immense significance to both West Bengal and Bangladesh as lakhs of lives and livelihood are dependent on the sharing of the water.