Tripura: Indo-Bangla meeting agrees on Sabroom water treatment plant

The water treatment plant, which is considered a strategic facility for the people of Sabroom civic body, has been pending due to opposition from Bangladesh since 2012, officials said.

Tripura: Indo-Bangla meeting agrees on Sabroom water treatment plant

Agartala: An Indo-Bangla joint technical meeting on Friday has “primarily” agreed to allow a water treatment plant at Sabroom in South Tripura district, one of the key pending projects of the state on Friday, officials said.

The water treatment plant, which is considered a strategic facility for the people of Sabroom civic body, has been pending due to opposition from Bangladesh since 2012, they said.

Bangladesh has been objecting to the 28.32 litre per second water treatment plant at Sabroom town as it will collect water from Feni river, which flows from Sabroom to Bangladesh.

Besides, the Bangladesh Border Guards (BGB) has also opposed it as the site for the plant is very close to the Indo-Bangla border, the officials said.

Today, a local level Indo-Bangla joint technical committee had a meeting at Dhulbari in which there was an elaborate discussion on the water treatment plant to find an amicable solution. The Bangladesh side headed by the chief engineer of Bangladesh Water Board, Chittagong, Ramjan Ali Pramanik primarily agreed to allow the project, said Subrata Debbarma, the Sabroom sub-division officer of Tripura water resource department.

He said the Bangladesh side also insisted that the water treatment plant when it comes up should be 10 m away from the barbed wire fencing and 25 m away from the river.

The Bangladesh side assured that they will take up the issue with the higher ups and let the Tripura water resource department know about its decision “at the earliest , he added.

District magistrate of Tripura South district Saju Vaheed led the Indian delegation in the meeting.