The recent decision of the state government to allow Indonesia's Salim group to construct the Raichak-Kukrahati bridge over Hooghly river has upset Japan.
Yoshikazu Takeuchi, consul general of Japan, said here today, "We regret that the state government has decided to allot the work to Salim even while Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) was doing the feasibility study. JICA was approached by the state government to do the study and such an action was not expected."
Takeuchi said he hoped such an action would not be repeated.
Addressing the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), he said overseas development assistance (ODA) was the safest mode of finance.
He urged the state government to bring in more Japanese companies.
According to Takeuchi, only 15 Japanese companies were present in West Bengal against 59 in Bangalore and 67 in the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh belt.
A 100-member information technology sector team from Japan will be visiting India in February 2007 to participate in the trade fair, he added.
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