Kolkata

The Asian Development Bank has offered financial assistance to the West Bengal government for developing infrastructure to support industrial growth in the state, a senior official at the state secretariat said on Wednesday.

The proposal came when an Asian Development Bank (ADB) delegation met a top bureaucrat at the Chief Minister's Office on Tuesday, a day after the state budget was presented, he said.

"ADB has indicated its willingness to support the state in building economic regions that can improve industrial connectivity, logistics and urban infrastructure. Discussions are at a preliminary stage, but the proposals are significant," a senior bureaucrat at Nabanna told PTI.

It has expressed interest in extending loans for a range of infrastructure projects, including the development of City Economic Regions (CERs), logistics hubs and tourism-related facilities in the state, he said.

ADB has proposed the creation of two City Economic Regions in West Bengal.

One would cover Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Uluberia and Dankuni in south Bengal, while the other would be built around Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar in the northern part of the state.

The proposal is in line with the framework prepared by NITI Aayog for creating integrated economic zones around major urban centres. Similar projects are already being implemented around Surat, Varanasi, Visakhapatnam and Bhubaneswar with Central government support.

During the meeting, ADB officials also conveyed their interest in supporting pollution-free modern public transport systems, traffic planning and drainage infrastructure in Kolkata and other urban centres of the state, sources said.

The multilateral funding agency has suggested that a port-based industrial region, on the lines of Visakhapatnam, could be developed around Haldia and Digha. Officials believe the proposed zone could combine industrial activity with tourism development.

ADB has also proposed the development of a heavy industry hub focused on steel and engineering sectors in the Durgapur-Asansol belt.

"There is considerable potential to build sector-specific growth centres in different parts of the state. Such projects can generate employment and improve regional economic activity," the senior bureaucrat said.

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The agency has further suggested promoting eco-tourism in the Sundarbans and creating dedicated tourism circuits covering Darjeeling, Kalimpong and the Dooars region, he added.