Rs 107 crore environment plan for Bengal's Bantala SEZ

Indo-Asian News Service

Kolkata, January 18, 2011

The West Bengal government has prepared a Rs 107 crore plan to address the environment problems at Bantala special economic zone (SEZ) in the eastern part of the city, Industries and Commerce Minister Nirupam Sen said on Tuesday.

"We were apprehensive whether investors would invest in Bantala SEZ, because of the environmental hazards caused by the tanneries located nearby. We are reluctant to have it happen where red category marked leather industries are located," Sen said at a programme.

"The investors and developers have faced lot of environmental problems. Even the Cognizant authorities complained that their employees are reluctant to come here because of non-friendly environment and poor infrastructure," Sen said at the inauguration function of the second campus of Cognizant Technology at Bantala.

 

He said the state government was concerned about the problem. "We are committed to address the problem at the earliest. A plan to renovate the common effluent treatment plants (CETP) and construction of solid waste management has been prepared by the government to resolve the problem at an estimated cost of Rs 107 crore," he said.

At present there are four CETPs, which are not running with full capacity due to lack of renovation. Two more CETPs will be constructed apart from setting up a solid waste management facility.

A plot of 60 acres has been identified for the solid waste management project and a guard wall will be set up to arrest the flow of water from the tanneries. The entire project will be completed at the earliest to improve the environment at the Bantala campus.

 

Sen said the state government will appeal to the union ministry of environment and forests for providing 70 per cent of the estimated cost as grant. The minister will take up the matter with the ministry officials in Delhi. "But even if the ministry refuses to fund the project, we will initiate the project at our own cost," he said.

After the tendering process, the project has been awarded to Ramco Environmental.

The minister also emphasised that foreign and domestic investors are doing good business here despite negative publicity in the media about the industrial growth of Bengal.

"Actually the foreign and domestic companies are doing good business. All of them are either undergoing expansion plan or have expanded their capacities."

Environment in the state is one of the major issues for development of the industries, said Sen.

14th Leather Goods Intl Fair begins in Kolkata

KOLKATA:There is an urgent need to increase domestic as well as export markets for leather goods, so said the West Bengal Finance Minister, Mr Asim Dasgupta, at the inaugural ceremony of the 14th Leather Goods International Fair, in Kolkata.Exports from the leather goods sector has been registering a steady growth in the last few years, but they have been hit by the global recession caused due to the economic meltdown, he added by saying.

Speaking on the occasion, the President of Indian Leather Products Association, Mr Satyabrata Mukherjee, said, during the last few months there has been a 40 percent drop in leather exports from the country and was likely to dip further.Around 40 exhibitors are show casing their leather products at the fair like handbags, wallets, portfolios, belts and accessories, which will continue till February 24. Visitors from Spain, Bangladesh, Singapore and Netherlands are expected to visit the fair.

Italy aims to increase bilateral goods exchange

KOLKATA: Besides helping the 538-odd tanneries in West Bengal shift to the newly formed Calcutta Leather Complex(CLC) to upgrade their products and technological processes and meet the EU regulations, Italy is also looking to increase bilateral exchange of goods and services in this sector.

Vittorio Mecozzi, Italian Trade commissioner, said “that export import of leather goods had been on a high growth path between India and Italy which can be further increased because many Italian companies are looking at joint ventures with India companies in leather sector. Last year in 2007-08 Italian imports of leather goods from India was close to 32 million Euro and India exported closed to 10.5 million pairs of shoes which is equivalent to 122 million euro and finished leather good export from India to Italy was close to 133.5 million euro. Infact India is the fifth largest supplier to Italy after China and Vietnam.

Italy a leading player in the world leather market, it does $18.66 billion worth annual exports in leather goods is also the largest exporter of tannery machinery to India. Italy exported close to 25 million euro last fiscal of which 10 million euro is tannery machinery. Italian consulate and trade office is investing close to 1.5 million Euro in the TTSC facility in supplying the high end machinery which can help address the environmental concerns, one of the chief hurdle of CLC Bantala complex. The facility will be spread over an area of 2700 square meter, for which construction is on, land was procured by West bengal government, informed, S S Kumar, chairman, Government College of Engineering and Leather Technology.