India reassures Bangladesh on Teesta water treaty and border deal

India reassured Bangladesh on Wednesday that it was committed to the "completion of action" on the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) and the Teesta water treaty. HT reports.

India reassured Bangladesh on Wednesday that it was committed to the "completion of action" on the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) and the Teesta water treaty.

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These were among the host of issues that came up during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's meeting with Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in the Iranian capital here.

The completion of the LBA requires a constitutional amendment for which there is no political consensus in India. On the other hand, the Teesta agreement has been suspended due to opposition from the West Bengal government.

In a 40-minute meeting between the head of the states, the leaders reviewed progress of several initiatives on the bilateral front. After India liberalised its market for Bangladeshi goods last year, there has been a leap in trade, the leaders noted. Noting the success of haats that accelerated local trade in border areas, the leaders have decided to open more haats.