Dhaka, Sep 6 (IANS) Not signing the Teesta river water sharing agreement "casts a shadow on the trip" of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Bangladesh, a leading daily said Tuesday.

"Notwithstanding the shock ... that there will be no Teesta water sharing accord, Bangladesh is ready to extend a warm welcome to Manmohan Singh's much-awaited visit to Dhaka," the Daily Star said in an editorial.

"We would, however, like to say that the non-signing of the much-vaunted Teesta accord casts a shadow on the trip that was looked upon as a great opportunity to take the bilateral relationship on to a new trajectory."

It hoped that despite the Teesta disappointment, "some significant developments will occur in terms of economic cooperation and investment, balancing bilateral trade, settling boundary demarcation issues and stoppage of border killings".

The editorial sought "less stringent regulations on movement between citizens of the two nations".

"We hope the outcome of the visit in other areas will be proportionate to the interest generated and expectations created by the long-drawn-out preparations preceding the trip."

The daily sought a follow-up mechanism that would ensure that whatever commitments are made during the visit are followed through.