Bangladesh-India development partnership witnessed a new chapter with the signing of a contract in Chattogram on Saturday for a project for modernisation of the city street light system in the Chattogram City Corporation area.
The project is being implemented with a credit line of $25.71 million (nearly Tk300 crore) under the government of India’s concessional Line of Credit programme.
The contract signing ceremony was attended by the Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives of Bangladesh Md Tajul Islam, Mayor of Chattogram City Corporation Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, and High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Pranay Verma.
In his remarks at the event, High Commissioner Pranay Verma noted that the project will establish the foundations of a Smart City infrastructure for Chattogram.
He highlighted the importance of the project in the context of the declaration of a Shared Vision for "India-Bangladesh Green Partnership for a Sustainable Future" signed during the recent State visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in June 2024.
The high commissioner emphasised the efforts being made by both countries to create a framework for introducing environment-friendly approaches in development projects, co-develop energy-efficient measures, enhance energy independence, reduce carbon emissions, improve power transmission efficiency, optimally utilise energy, reduce energy wastage, seek sustainable urban development, set up smart urban infrastructure, and improve quality of urban life.
He described the project as a testament to the commitment of both India and Bangladesh to sustainability and hoped that such collaborations would illuminate the path towards a brighter, greener, and more prosperous future for all.
The objective of this project is to replace conventional street lights with eco-friendly, low-power-consuming LED lights which will also contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of the city, according to the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.
With a longer lifespan, these lights will also reduce maintenance costs which will translate into cost savings, besides contributing to the overall enhancement of the quality of life for Chattogram’s residents with well-lit streets encouraging safer use of public spaces.
The project for modernisation of the city street light system for Chattogram is being implemented with a concessional loan of $25.71 million from the Government of India, and the scope involves coverage of approximately 460km of city streets using 20,600 LED light fittings and other associated technology and equipment.
