Prof Yunus proposes Bangladesh-India high-level committee to manage floods

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus today proposed forming a high-level committee between Bangladesh and India to manage floods jointly.
 
He came up with the proposal when Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pranay Verma paid a courtesy call on him at his Jamuna office here.
 
Following the meeting, chief adviser’s press secretary Shafiqul Alam briefed reporters at the Foreign Service Academy here.

He said if a high-level committee is formed between Bangladesh and India, both countries will be able to manage severe floods jointly by holding a meeting of the committee.

During the meeting, the chief adviser said since Bangladesh and India have common rivers, such an initiative will help address the flood situation in both the countries.

He hoped that disputes over water-sharing of trans-boundary rivers would be resolved soon.

Mentioning the existing good relations between Bangladesh and India, Prof Yunus stressed strengthening BIMSTEC and SAARC.

“We have to take initiatives so that the youth of the SAARC countries can work together,” he said.

Reaffirming India’s strong belief in a prosperous and stable Bangladesh, the Indian High Commissioner discussed the goal of shared prosperity between the two nations.

“We believe in a strong and prosperous Bangladesh. We are really looking forward to working together,” Alam quoted the Indian envoy as saying. On the flood issue, Verma said water was “released automatically” due to the water level rising.

Terming the flood in Tripura “very unprecedented”, he said the flood displaced around 50,000 people and it has wreaked havoc to both the sides of Bangladesh and India.

Verma expressed concerns over the safety and security of Indian establishments in Bangladesh, including its High Commission in Dhaka.

During the meeting, they exchanged views on issues related to bilateral interest and discussed avenues to further strengthen people-to-people contact.

Prof Yunus mentioned about his personal good relations with India, saying he has many friends in India.

He also discussed three zeros on “zero poverty, zero unemployment and zero net carbon emissions”.