www.expressindia.com - Weather | Horoscope | Stocks | RSS
expressindia web city
HomeBlogsCricketAstrologyShopping TendersClassifieds Opinions Jobs Hotels
Sign In / Register | Archive
Expressindia » Story

Italy unhappy with tardy progress of Bengal projects

Font Size

Express news service

Posted: Mar 04, 2008 at 0106 hrs IST

Kolkata, March 3 Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee may be known for his pro-investment image and efforts to woo foreign investors but Italy is not happy, as most of its projects are waiting to get a nod from the Writers' Building.

With bureaucratic red tape putting on hold many proposals announced a long time ago, the country's envoy to India Antonio Armellini today expressed his muted displeasure.

Addressing a gathering of state industrialists here, Armellini used the phrase — “we are still awaiting for the green signal”— not once but several times in his speech.

Referring to an agreement on setting up of a training and service centre for leather tanning, signed between Italian Trade Commission and the state government during Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi’s visit to Kolkata in February 2007, the envoy said: “The agreement said Italy will provide technical assistance while West Bengal infrastructure for the centre. But the state government is yet to give us the land, and we hope that it happens soon.”

Armellini said his country is willing to keep its part of the commitment. But “the later the project starts, greater will the delay in beginning cooperation,” he added. The leather centre was expected to come up at a cost of one million Euros (Rs 6.05 crore).

Another Italian proposal that has not seen the light of day since 1999 is 25-million-Euro project to upgrade the water distribution system in 16 townships of the state.

Armellini said the Italian government had finally cleared the project recently but the state government was yet to do the same. “We hope that we receive the clearance soon so that we can establish the implementation centre and get on with the project,” he added.

The office of the Italian Trade Commission, established in Kolkata in December, has set up a special cell to focus on agro-foods and agricultural machinery trade. The state contributes only 5 per cent of the total India-Italy bilateral trade that stood at $6.3 billion in 2006-07. “Our target is to double this figure in the next couple of years,” said the Italian Trade Commissioner in Kolkata, Vittorio Mecozzini.

Discuss this story on expressindia forums
Post Comments
Name* Email ID*
Subject* Country*
Message*
Characters remaining
 
TERMS OF USE: The views, opinions and comments posted are your, and are not endorsed by this website. You shall be solely responsible for the comment posted here. The website reserves the right to delete, reject, or otherwise remove any views, opinions and comments posted or part thereof. You shall ensure that the comment is not inflammatory, abusive, derogatory, defamatory &/or obscene, or contain pornographic matter and/or does not constitute hate mail, or violate privacy of any person (s) or breach confidentiality or otherwise is illegal, immoral or contrary to public policy. Nor should it contain anything infringing copyright &/or intellectual property rights of any person(s).
I agree to the terms of use.

Latest News

Business

Showbiz

Sports

'India's growing power makes it a global player'

'1,400 Tamils dying every week in Lankan refugee camps'

China bans Friday prayers at Mosques in riot-hit Urumqi

Nilekani leaves his identity at Infosys to give one to all Indians

Over Rs 14 cr missing in name of Naxal war in Jharkhand

Guj hooch tragedy: Death toll rises to more than 100

J-K police arrest cross-LoC trader for 'hawala payments to militants'

More
© 2009 The Indian Express Limited. All rights reserved
The Indian Express Group | Advertise With Us | Privacy Policy | Feedback | Work With Us | Site Map