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Sushma takes up issue with Chinese counterpart

By Spl Correspondent

NEW DELHI, Dec 14 - The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) today confirmed that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj raised the issue of contamination of Brahmaputra water with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

MEA spokesman Raveesh Kumar said, �...it is definitely a matter of concern we are coordinating with the Ministry of Water Resources and we have ascertained certain facts and I can also share that the matter did come up in discussion with the Chinese Foreign Minister.�

Referring to the denial by China about construction of a tunnel to divert Brahmaputra waters, he said, �We had seen the report and the matter is under investigation and it has been a subject of comment also by the Chinese side.�

�We have an agreement with the Chinese to deal with such matters. We are engaged with the Chinese side on any such matter related to the rivers from the China,� Kumar said.

The clarification by the MEA spokesperson came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed the Water Resources Ministry to find out reasons why toxicity was rising in the Brahmaputra river and also asked it to take immediate remedial measures for it.

The matter was discussed during a high-level meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister and attended by Union ministers Sushma Swaraj, Nitin Gadkari, Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitely and Sonowal and others on Monday evening.

Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today blamed the Sonowal government for laxity in the matter claiming that no action was taken by the State government until the people started agitation. The claim that it was natural calamity and not man-made was also proved to be wrong, he said.

The Prime Minister had not also taken up the issue with his counterpart, Gogoi said. �The Brahmaputra is not a new issue, but the Central government and the State government neglected it,� he said.

Assam Congress president Ripun Bora said that the Central government should talk to China bilaterally.

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