French state to help waste management

PUDUCHERRY: The French region (state) of Cotes D’Armor has come forward to implement a pilot project in solid waste management in two municipal wards in Karaikal, by joining hands with the government of the Union Territory of Puducherry.The project is being initiated as part of the bilateral agreement signed between India and France, for decentralised cooperation between states in the two countries, at a convention in January this year.This was explained by a delegation represented by Isabelle Nicolas, vice president (deputy chief minister) of Cotes D’Armor, Michele Pasteur, director for international cooperation, Yann Le Bris, technical advisor to Puduchery Chief Minister N Rangasamy, and minister for local administration NG Paneerselvam, on Wednesday.  As the scope of the cooperation includes local administration, student exchange and sustainable development, Cotes D’Armor, the French state which has expertise in seven different fields, including waste management, tourism, fishing and water management, has come forward to offer help.Under Karaikal municipality, there are 18 wards out of which solid waste management is being carried out on a contract basis in 12 wards, with the responsibility of the remaining six wards resting with the municipality. Cotes D’ Armor would like to take one ward from each of the two,  to implement its expertise.  If the French state could do better, then it would also train the local agencies. If the Puducherry government wants to go ahead, it would have to fill up the specified application with details to compose a project report, which would then be put up before the joint committee of France and India by the foreign ministry of France and urban development ministry, government of India. Once the application is processed and cleared, both the state governments can take up implementing the project by signing an agreement. Based on the project proposals, the French state would chip in with a certain percentage of funds required to implement the project, which could account for 40 per cent of the project.Balane Manivassagane, a French citizen of Indian origin, hailing from Karaikal and working in an IT company in France, who had been the initiator and part of the delegation, explained the scope of the project to the Chief Minister. After the tsunami, a French trust had built a home for widows in Karaikal, he said.