“The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry” organizes Discussion featured on Ecological Sustainability in the Industrial Region− Haldia, Siliguri and Durgapur. The 6th Edition of Discussion Forum on Ecological Sustainability in the Industrial Region of Haldia was held at Golden Retreat, Haldia on 24th November 2022.

It was a forum for the industrial stakeholders of Haldia to showcase their best practices and introduce to them latest technologies and business practices for industrial development in sync with ecological sustainability.

It is said that 39% or more of West Bengal's investments were in Haldia. Every year, 5% addition is made to the workforce. However, climate change may have a deep impact on Haldia. Though Haldia is not connected with Sundarbans directly, the decreasing mangroves in Sundarbans due to natural calamity like cyclones may make Haldia exposed to more damaging impacts of cyclones.

This year, the sessions were focused on:

• Session on Stakeholders sharing best practices
• Workshop on Energy Conservation with senior experts from Jadavpur University and IISWBM

The discussions featured on: −

• Sewage of the Haldia Township
• Salination of river water
• Commitments from the industry towards sustainability
• Need for industry−academia collaborations for innovations to address climate change
• Need for more community partnerships for initiatives with social impact

Mr. Sourav Daspatnaik, Managing Director, Swach Environment Pvt Ltd and Special Invitee of the Managing Committee, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry formally welcomed all. Mr. Chandra Shekhar Prasad, COO, Indorama India Private Limited was present along with Mr. I Daniel Raj, Deputy General Manager − HSE, Indian Oil Corporation Limited; Mr. T K Pan, Chief Operation Manager, Exide Industries Ltd; Mr. Susobhan Patra, General Manager, Haldia Energy Ltd.; Ms. Jhunarani Behera, Senior Manager−HSE, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Haldia Refinery; Mr. Subhashish Pal, Deputy General Manager, Technology,  Haldia  Petro  Chemical  Ltd. Dr. Sudipta De, Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Department, Jadavpur University presented his views on Energy conservation: origin, evolution and its relevance to Indian industry and Dr. Arindam Dutta, Energy Consultant & Coordinator of Energy Management Department, Indian Institute of Social Welfare & Business Management addressed us on Energy Conservation Policy Framework and Impact: India's Perspective.

Industry bodies like Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. − Haldia Refinery, Exide Industries Ltd, Indorama India Pvt Ltd., Haldia Energy Ltd., Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd., Electrosteel Castings Limited, Adani Wilmar Limited, TATA Steel Downstream Products Limited, Hiranmaye Energy limited and Haldia Water Services Pvt Ltd. were present to express their views on sustainable development of the city.

Participants were from almost all the major industries in Haldia and also from Kolkata and Jamshedpur.