Teesta Master Plan to be prepared based on opinions of people from the area: Rizwana

Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan has stated that the timeline for preparing the Teesta Master Plan has been extended by two years and it will be done taking into account opinions of people from the riverside.

"We have said the plan should reflect the opinions of the people from the Teesta area regarding what should or shouldn't be included. The process of gathering opinions will be carried out by the Ministry of Water Resources and the PWDB, with Power China present at every public hearing," she said after a ministry session at the Deputy Commissioners' (DC) Conference on Tuesday (18 February).

The institution responsible for the plan, Power China, is tasked with submitting the plan to the government by December 2026. 

However, they will provide a report to the government between October and December of this year.

"We have given them two years to finalise the plan. After that, the Planning Commission will approve it, and then it will be submitted to the Chinese government," the adviser said.

She mentioned that because information is not provided publicly, there have been some misconceptions about the master plan. 

"People are questioning how the implementation will take place when there is no plan. A plan needs to be established first."

She further said a Chinese group had submitted a plan, but it was not feasible or sustainable.

Following discussions with Power China, a decision was made to revise the plan.

Rizwana said, according to the agreement made in 2016, the master plan was supposed to be submitted much earlier. "Now, the time for submitting the plan has been extended by another two years, with the deadline pushed to December 2026."