New Delhi, Sep 22 (IANS) Minister for Water Resources Saifuddin Soz is hopeful that India and Bangladesh will soon reach an accord on tackling soil erosion and silting problem in the Ichhamati river.

Just back from Dhaka after attending the first ministerial field study of the problems along the four shared rivers with his Bangladesh counterpart, Hafiz-Uddin Ahmad Bir Bikram, Soz told media persons here Friday that the two sides have agreed to work out a plan for simultaneous action on both sides to overcome the distrust over unilateral action.

The minister said the field visits, undertaken as part of the decision taken at the 36th Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) meet, had helped both sides to better understand the problems faced by the people. The Bangladesh team was led by Minister for Water and Commerce Hafiz-Uddin Ahmad Bir Bikram

"I am confident that the next Joint Rivers Commission meet to be held in New Delhi we will arrive at a joint action plan for undertaking work on a shared 21-km stretch of Ichhamati river (from Berigopalpur to Pipli in West Bengal)," Soz said.

The estimated Rs.250 million action plan proposed is for both sides to have a common design and machinery for strengthening the embankment on the basis of an international tender to award the contract.

The action plan would also involve joint inspection and implementation the project, said Soz.

The field visit from Sep 13-21 along common rivers - Feni, Muhuri and Meda-Muhuri (a tributary of Muhuri) and Ichhamati that form the border of both countries revealed a range of problems faced by people from both sides.

People living near Feni and Muhuri in Tripura sought better drinking water and irrigation facilities particularly in Sabroom and Belonia town, which is seeking a flood embankment with the river having changed course.

Expressing happiness at the progress of the dialogue with Bangladesh, the minister said though the JRC is proceeding slowly, "both sides realise that consensus is required on technical details on various issues".