Bengal to get Rs 100cr for waste handling from Italy

Italy has agreed to provide Rs 100 crore loan to West Bengal for solid waste management and drinking water supply projects in about 14 small towns of the state.

Ashok Bhattacharya, state minister for municipal affairs and urban development, said the project was awaiting clearance from the Centre. "The earlier government sat on the proposal for a long time. However, we hope it will move faster now," Bhattacharya said.

Speaking at the sidelines of a seminar on "European and Indian cooperation for sewerage and water sanitation improvement in West Bengal," he said 14 towns has been selected for solid waste management while 13 of them will also have project on drinking water supply.

The state government will also chip in Rs 25 crore for the project which was the outcome of an agreement signed by Italian government and West Bengal during the visit of chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee last year.

Besides the waste management and water projects, the region of Lombardia (Italy) and generalitat de 'Catalunya (Spain) have prepared three technical reports on waste water sanitation and drinking water in four corporation towns of Howrah, Asansol, Durgapur and Siliguri as part of the European Commission's Asia Urbs programme.

The Asia Urbs programme was taken up by the European Union for undertaking studies and development of urban regions through city-to-city cooperation in 17 countries in south east Asia and China.

After the reports, final project reports will be carried out for each of the four towns. Once the they are finalised, the state government would approach the Italian government and other EU countries for funds to implement them, Bhattacharya said.

Giovanni Bordoni, minister's representative, ministry of public utility, region of Lombardia, said the studies would be finished by June this year after which the state would be helped to approach the Italian foreign affairs ministry for funds.

The state, he said, has already launched a Kolkata urban services for the poor (KUSP) project with Rs 700 crore funding by DFID in 40 municipal areas.

Also, a Rs 1,800 crore Asian Development Bank funded project had been taken up in 2002 for Kolkata environment improvement project.