Under the Indian Constitution, water is a state subject. This makes the states through which the river passes important stakeholders in resolving disputes over sharing common rivers even at the international level. Taking benefit of this provision, Banerjee has been targeting the issue of water-sharing withBangladeshto extract special privileges forWest Bengal. Banerjee first targeted the Teesta water-sharing agreement by expressing her opposition to the draft of the agreement at the last moment ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit toBangladeshin September 2011. The non-signing of the Teesta agreement has substantially hampered ties between the two countries.

More recently, Banerjee targeted the India-Bangladesh Ganges Water Treaty of 1996. In a letter to the prime minister, she has alleged that the Indian government had kept the fact regarding two damaged sluice gates of the Farakka Barrage a secret. This resulted in Bangladesh getting 82,801 cusecs of water, as against the 35,000 cusecs it was supposed to get during the dry season under the 1996 treaty.

These claims made by Banerjee only help strengthen the anti-India rhetoric inBangladeshwhere the issue of water-sharing has been regularly highlighted. There are 54 common rivers between India and Bangladesh.Bangladeshbeing a lower riparian State, it is natural that it watches all the changes that take place upstream. There is a sizeable population in Bangladesh that is sceptical aboutIndia’s intentions, especially after the construction of the Farakka Barrage.Bangladeshclaims that the barrage has greatly affected the country environmentally.

The Farakka Barrage, the construction of which began in 1961 and which was inaugurated in 1975, was constructed to divert water to maintain the navigability of the Calcutta Port. Relations between the two countries remained tense over the issue for a long time. The signing of the agreement in 1996 ended the dispute. Now the treaty has become a benchmark of cooperation between the two countries. Although there have been demands for reviewing the treaty in Bangladesh, no government in Dhaka has tried to tamper with the treaty. The move by Banerjee has put a question mark onIndia’s trustworthiness in respecting an international treaty.

With the increase in population on both sides of the border, there is a constraint over the availability of natural resources like water. So countries that have a stake in such resources would like to have greater control over them. This prioritises the need for friendly relations with neighbours. Otherwise the competition for natural resources may generate avoidable tensions.

At a time whenIndiais struggling to establish itself as a global power, it is necessary to have friendly relationships with its neighbours. Unfortunately,India’s equations with its neighbours have not been very comfortable. Of late,Bangladesh, however, has shown an interest in improving the relationship. But such attitudes on the part of state governments will only ruin the present atmosphere of warmth.

AFTER terming him the “bloodsucker” of the poor and relentlessly harassing him and forcing his departure from Grameen Bank that he founded and led to Nobel Prize stature, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, on Wednesday, requested the visiting EU delegation to use their “influence” to make Prof Yunus the next president of the World Bank. Mahfuz Anam, editor of The Daily Star, writes a commentary on the recommendation that puzzled many in and outside Bangladesh.

On the occasion she also praised him, according to UNB news agency, for “his outstanding contribution in alleviating poverty through micro credit activities.” The PM is also quoted to have further said that Prof Yunus has vast experience and enjoys an “excellent reputation in the world”. She reportedly holds the view that Prof.

Yunus’ vast experience is a “valuable asset” that the World Bank, by making him its next president, can use for the benefit of the world.

This is for the first time we have heard anything positive from the PM about Yunus since she took power this time. Is Sheikh Hasina’s change of heart for real? Or is it a mockery, with the underlying message, ‘Take him away from Bangladesh?’ We hope it is the former.

Countless numbers of us who have attended conferences abroad or who have done business with foreign companies, have faced relentless questions as to how the Bangladesh government could harass the very man honoured the world over.

The support that the international community extended to Prof Yunus was seen by our government more as Yunus’ capacity to lobby to gather support rather than a sign of genuine respect that he enjoyed.

The spontaneity of the global outcry was totally lost on our government. It could not imagine, in its wildest dream, that another Bangladeshi, who wielded no political power, could have earned such a genuinely exalted place in the global scene.

So like a stubborn individual, the more the support for Yunus, the more the government stiffened its attitude and saw it as external interference in our internal affairs. Not for a moment did it ask why heads of states and governments were rooting for this private man who had nothing to show for his power except his reputation for the work he did for the poor, especially women.

Within the country the government, its leaders and especially the prime minister came under severe criticism for their narrow mindedness. Many termed the prime minister’s attitude to be an expression of her jealousy, as some had convinced her that she deserved a Nobel Prize. She appeared to be mean, vindictive, too eager to denigrate people other than her family, and totally blind against people she dislikes for whatever reason and however unjustifiably. To make a long story short, her attack on Prof Yunus greatly diminished her, her party, her government and the country.

Nothing would please us more if Sheikh Hasina really meant what she said to EU delegation. It is never too late to correct a wrong. Yunus’ possible presidency of the World Bank is of least interest to us. (It may be mentioned that the office is always held by an American, just as the IMF’s stewardship is held by Europeans. On what basis our PM made such a request to the EU is beyond our comprehension). What is far more important for Bangladesh and we as a people is that we stop dishonouring a man who needs and deserves to be respected. We stop telling lies about him and about micro-credit that is being adopted in almost all poor countries of the world, some not too poor and a few rich countries as well.

As the age old saying goes, charity begins at home. So also respect for Yunus should begin at home, at the PM’s home (figuratively speaking) to be precise.

If Sheikh Hasina believes what she said to the EU delegation about Yunus’ work, his experience, his reputation then she must acknowledge that inside the country by giving him the respect he deserves. Given the ego our leaders have, it is too much to ask our PM to retract all that she has said about him in the past, especially after it proved to be all false. She would definitely gain the esteem of her countrymen if she had the maturity and the self confidence to admit that she was mistaken.

That said, we can ask her to begin anew. She can start by giving Yunus an audience that he has long requested for and removing the misunderstanding that has been exploited by many smaller people surrounding the PM. She can take steps to restore this man’s prestige that she has so unfairly, cruelly but at the end ineffectively, tried to take away from him.

But, on the contrary, if she does not believe what she has said, then she has only made herself an object of ridicule. The world will know that she advised the EU and indirectly the World Bank and all its members to honour the very man she herself does not honour. What it will do for her own credibility and stature, not to speak of respect among her peers, is an open question. But it is one that should be asked by her.

It is our fervent hope that the PM’s words signal a change of heart. We would further like to hope that she will act according to what she has said and try to heal this festering wound that has harmed us all so much, more her than anybody else. However, if her words turn out to have been just that — words, without any substance or meaning — then it will stand out as having made a mockery of us all.

“If, despite their [BSF personnel] efforts [of exercising restraint], they get into a situation where they are threatened and their lives are in danger, then they will use the force available to them to save their lives or the lives of their companions. That means they will fire,” Bansal told Press Trust of India news agency.

According to the rights organisation Odhikar, 203 people lost their lives in BSF firing near the border between 2009 and 2011.

None of the killings occurred in a situation in which the Indian guards’ lives were at stake.

Triggering a controversy, Bansal had earlier said firing by BSF along the border with Bangladesh cannot stop completely.

The BSF chief, however, made it clear that firing will be the last resort and that the force has put in a number of measures to avert casualties.

His remarks came a day ahead of a meeting between Indian Home Minister India P Chidambaram and Bangladesh Home Minister Shahara Khatun. When the two ministers meet, Shahara is expected to raise the issue of BSF firing and killing of Bangladeshi civilians along the border.

The BSF director general said on Thursday, “They [BSF personnel] will fire with the available weapon… it may be non-lethal, it may be lethal… every patrol company will have both weapons but if a person is under attack and he is holding a rifle, he will fire his rifle.

“Even that firing he will do as far as possible with the intent not to kill but if casualties occur… we will have to tolerate it as an inescapable alternative,” he said.

“It gives me no pleasure in killing any civilians. We have the best of relations with Bangladesh. We want to improve those relations… but we certainly cannot sacrifice the lives of our officers and men and we also have to complete our mandate, which is border guarding and, therefore, we are trying to strike a difficult balance between completing our task with as little force as possible,” Bansal said.

He said the BSF is sending a fresh lot of non-lethal weapons to 23 border posts along the Bangladesh border. However, he claimed that since the time BSF decided to exercise “restraint” while dealing with cross-border movements, criminals have become bolder.

“They are coming in larger numbers… sometimes even 300-400 at a time. They are breaching the fence with the confidence that they can get away with it… Cattle smuggling is being attempted with much greater openness,” Bansal said.

“Some people say these are cattle traders and that BSF is killing them. My question is what trade is done in the middle of the night? From dusk to dawn, on the entire Bangladesh border we declare curfew and no movement is permitted. Whether Indian or Bangladeshi, he has no business to be there… So, to say that these people are innocent traders is not a very convincing argument,” he said.

The DG said the BSF has asked the Border Guard Bangladesh to ensure strict vigil in vulnerable areas during the nights.

He claimed that since Chidambaram’s visit to Bangladesh in July last year and subsequent order to exercise maximum restraint on the Bangladesh border, shooting incidents have come down by “about 70 percent”.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Shahara Khatun reached New Delhi Thursday afternoon leading a 12-member delegation including Gowher Rizvi, international affairs adviser to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Tariq A Karim, and Home Secretary Mustaq Ahmed.

Before the talks with her Indian counterpart, Shahara is expected to call on Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his residence around 10:00am today.

Home secretaries of the two countries held a preparatory meeting Thursday at the Indian home ministry ahead of the talks between the two home ministers.

Meanwhile, an official statement of Indian government last night said Chidambaram and Shahara would have one-on-one meeting before the delegation-level talks today.

Issues on security, border management and enhanced cooperation between the police and law enforcement agencies of the countries will be high on the agenda.

India’s National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon, Home Secretary RK Singh and Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai would be in the Indian delegation.

The meeting of the home ministers of Bangladesh and India take on the added significance with the presence of Gowher Rizvi and Indian National Security adviser Shivshankar Menon, said officials who regularly attend ministerial-level talks between the two sides.

This clearly indicates that the home minister-level talks would focus on all issues relating to security cooperation between the two sides, especially the drives against terrorists and criminals.

Sources have said India is likely to ask Bangladesh to consider imposing night curfews along the border to prevent movement of people as India has done.

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INDIA’S Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has declined to disclose details of her income tax returns under the RTI Act, citing personal freedom and security risk.

In her reply to the Income Tax (I-T) department, she said there was no public interest involved in disclosing such information, reports Indian daily The Times of India.

Chennai-based RTI activist V Gopalakrishnan had sought details of her I-T returns from the year 2000-2001 to 2010-2011.

On January 23, the assistant commissioner of income tax, New Delhi, who is also the chief public information officer (CPIO), wrote to the UPA chairperson as per Section 11 of the RTI Act, 2005, seeking her response to the application.

In her reply, Sonia said disclosure of such private information to third parties in guise of transparency in public life would amount to unwarranted invasion of the individual’s privacy.

The information submitted to the I-T department by an individual was confidential and private in nature and cannot be disclosed as per Section 138 of the Income Tax Act, 1961, the Indian daily quoted Sonia as saying.

This is the second time that the CPIO has rejected the petition.

The application was first rejected without even seeking objection from Sonia. After the appellate authority’s intervention last month on Gopalakrishnan’s plea, the CPIO sought a response from Sonia.

“By not calling for an objection, the CPIO has ignored the possibility of the third party expressing willingness for disclosure of personal I-T information,” the authority had said.

The great monuments of the Classic Maya were swallowed by the jungle. Photo: BBC

RELATIVELY mild drought conditions may have been enough to cause the collapse of the Classic Maya civilisation, which flourished until about 950AD in what is now southern Mexico and Guatemala, BBC reports.

Scientists have long thought that severe drought caused its collapse.

But Mexican and British researchers now think that a sustained drop in rainfall of only 25-40% was enough to exhaust seasonal water supplies in the region.

The findings were published in the journal Science.

The research was conducted by the Yucatan Centre for Scientific Research in southern Mexico and the University of Southampton in the UK.

Scientists used advanced modelling techniques to estimate rainfall and evaporation rates between 800 and 950AD, when the classic Maya civilisation went into sharp decline.

They found that a relatively modest decline in rainfall was enough to deplete freshwater storage systems in the Yucatan lowlands, where there are no rivers.

Future warning?

“These reductions amount to only 25 to 40% in annual rainfall, but they were large enough for evaporation to become dominant over rainfall, and open water was rapidly reduced,” Professor Eelco Rohling of Southampton University told the Press Association.

“Societal disruptions and abandonment of cities are likely consequences of critical water shortages, especially because there seems to have been a rapid repetition of multi-year droughts,” he added.

The reconstructed droughts are similar in extent to some predictions for the near future of the same region as a result of climate change.

“There are differences too, but the warning is clear – what seems like a minor reduction in water availability may lead to important, long-lasting problems,” Professor Martin Medina-Elizalde said.

“The problem is not unique to the Yucatan Peninsula, but applies to all regions in similar settings where evaporation is high,” he added.

Archaeologists have long been intrigued by the collapse of the Classic Maya civilisation, which flourished for around six centuries and developed sophisticated architecture, mathematics and culture.

Other studies have variously blamed social unrest, disease and deforestation for its demise.

Several protesters were hurt as they tried to break through a police cordon in the country’s main city of La Paz.

Riot police used pepper spray to prevent the demonstrators from entering the presidential square.

The protesters – who had travelled 100 days toLa Paz- wanted an annual state subsidy of about $400 (£254). They currently receive about 30% of that.

The caravan of about 50 disabled protesters – many in wheelchairs or on crutches – covered more than 1,500km (932 miles), living off the charity of people they met on the way.

InLa Paz, the demonstrators were met by the riot police, who blocked off a street towards the presidential square.

The protesters then tried to break through, hitting officers with sticks and crutches.

Domitila Franco, who is wheel chair-bound, told the BBC she was struggling to make ends meet.

“It’s very hard to be a person with a disability. Even our own husbands abandon us because they feel ashamed of us. I look after my four children alone, washing and ironing clothes for people, and doing whatever I can,” she said.

Living with a disability inBoliviais not easy, especially if you are poor, the BBC Mattia Cabitza reports.

Most buildings are not accessible to wheelchairs, and people with disabilities often cannot go to work or school, our correspondent adds.