145;Bengal lags behind in eco-friendly projects146;

At a conference organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce on Friday, experts said that local bodies in states like Orissa, Bihar, Chattisgarh and Bangalore have taken up several projects under the CDM, but state8217;s local bodies still have to adopt measures to reduce carbon emission.

8220;Compared to other states, Bengal has lesser number of CDM projects. We have discussed the issue with the state government, but nothing concrete has been done yet,8221; said Subrata Ray, Associate Director, Ernst 038; Young. The company has 156 recognised CDM projects under its belt.

8220;The municipalities of Indore, Bangalore and Chattisgarh have initiated CDM projects in public transport by using bio-diesel. Orissa has also brought development schemes of 13 districts under the scheme. But Bengal is an exception,8221; said Ray.

There are nearly 150 million issued Carbon Emission Reduction CER Points throughout the world with 1,077 registered projects, while in India there are about 39 million issued CERs with only 232 registered projects. According to experts, while the Asian Development Bank is either funding or providing technical support to CDM projects, the state is yet to find a place in the bank8217;s list.