Bangladesh, India in talks for JRC meeting

Bangladesh and India are looking for ways to host a meeting of the Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) to resolve water-sharing issues of different common rivers. 

The Hindu reports quoting an official spokesperson of India’s Ministry of External Affairs Anurag Srivastava. 

He was also quoted saying “the plan for the meeting is on course as envisaged by the Sixth Joint Consultative Commission meeting held on September 29.”

Srivastava added that the Foreign Ministers of Bangladesh and India, during a recently held meeting, urged the concerned authorities to consider convening the ministerial level JRC meeting. 

“I understand both sides are in discussion on this,” he said. 

The possibilities of a JRC at the level of Water Resources Ministers brightened on Wednesday when newly appointed Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Doraiswami met State Minister for Water Resources Zahid Faruk. 

The JRC was created as one of the earliest bilateral mechanisms over water resources between Bangladesh and India. It was part of the Indo-Bangladesh Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Peace that was signed on March 19, 1972, and came into being in November 1971.