West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said India and Bangladesh should resolve the long-standing issue of sharing waters of the Atreyee River, the lifeline of South Dinajpur district in the Indian state.
She said the flow of the Atreyee water into India had been “artificially restricted” on Bangladesh side and was creating problems for the people of the district.
The Atreyee River originates near Siliguri in north Bengal, flows into Bangladesh before entering South Dinajpur. After meandering through Balurghat and Kumarganj blocks, it flows again into the neighbouring country.
Mamata was speaking in the state assembly on Tuesday in reply to a question by Revolutionary Socialist Party legislator Narmada Chandra Roy, who is from Kushmandi in South Dinajpur, as to what the government is doing to alleviate the problems of the people in the area due to lack of water flow in the river.
Mamata said she had taken up the issue of lack of water in the river on the Indian side with the Bangladesh Prime Minister two-three times and also with the Indian Prime Minister.
She said it was unfortunate that the matter had not been taken up with due urgency by the Indian government with its Bangladesh counterpart even though the people of South Dinajpur continue to suffer.