In his earlier letter to Indian counterpart, the water resources secretary asked to schedule the talks date for August 5. The Indian side is yet to make any reply to Dhaka's request, sources said.

"We are preparing to send another letter, requesting them to inform us a convenient date for the talks," a top water resources ministry official, preferring anonymity, told The Daily Star on Monday.

"Bangladesh also wants to learn about the progress of the mega Indian river-linking project," he added.

According to sources, the commission was scheduled to hold its 36th meeting in Dhaka yesterday but New Delhi cancelled it citing a secretary-level talks of the Joint Committee of Experts (JCE), a JRC body, should be arranged before the ministerial level sitting.

The Indian side, however, missed the scheduled JCE meeting last month.

In its last letter on the issue, New Delhi said they needed to settle some issues such as: formula of sharing waters of Teesta river and constructing dam on its part of Muhuri river before sitting for the next secretary-level meeting, sources added.

The last JRC meeting was held in August 2003 in New Delhi. However, according to the 1972 Ganges water-sharing treaty, the commission is supposed to meet four times every year.

"Bangladesh is continuously hammering the Indian side on the issue. We want to reach a concrete point on water-sharing of seven important common rivers," the high-profile official said.

The JCE, headed by the water resources secretaries of both countries, has been working for last seven years to chalk out ways for a permanent or long-term water-sharing plan for Teesta, Dharala, Dudhkumar, Monu, Khowai, Gomti and Muhuri rivers.