India and Bangladesh have resumed formal negotiations over the Teesta River water-sharing agreement, a deal that has been blocked since 2011 by West Bengal's refusal to sign a treaty that its government argues gives away too much water to downstream users.

The talks, which opened in Dhaka this week, mark the most serious diplomatic engagement on the issue since Bangladesh's political transition. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri represented India at the technical committee meetings, signalling New Delhi's commitment to resolving the dispute.

The Teesta, which originates in Sikkim and flows through North Bengal before entering Bangladesh, is critical to irrigating millions of hectares of agricultural land in northern Bangladesh. The river's volume drops sharply in winter months, leading to severe water stress in Bangladesh's northern divisions.

A draft agreement finalised in 2011 proposed a 42.5-37.5 split in India's favour during dry months, but West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee refused to endorse the deal on the eve of then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Dhaka visit, effectively killing it.

Whether the current West Bengal government will permit the treaty remains uncertain. New Delhi has indicated it is exploring constitutional mechanisms that might allow central government authority over shared international river resources — an argument that would face significant legal and political challenges.