Varanasi airport to provide fund for solid waste management

 Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) : Lal Bahadur Shastri International (LBSI) Airport, Varanasi signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for granting Rs. 7.73 crore to Varanasi Municipal Corporation for solid waste management under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative of Airport Authority of India (AAI).

The MoA was signed in the presence of Union Minister of Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu, who applauded the initiative and expressed his desire to replicate such steps at other airports in near future.

The minister also conducted a brief inspection of the airport and appreciated cleanliness in and around airport premises. He was also apprised of steps taken by LBSI Airport, Varanasi to create awareness among local people through regular cleanliness drives to keep airport surroundings clean.

During the occasion, a cheque of Rs. 3 crore was also presented to National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for plantation of the National Highway.

LBSI Varanasi Airport also provided financial support of Rs.5 crore to Municipal Corporation Varanasi for acquiring 31 TATA ACE hopper tipper suitable to move around city streets to collect garbage and its disposal. Prior to this, Rs.5 crore has already been sanctioned to NHAI for improving ambience and undertaking landscaping work on NH-56 Highway, adjacent to the Varanasi Airport.

LBSI Airport, Varanasi has also undertaken other CSR work to improve quality of life in the region.

The initiatives include construction of toilets for underprivileged children at Government schools, up gradation of four primary schools for basic amenities like classrooms, furniture, drinking water, smart class etc. The construction of community toilets in villages, shelter for poor people and solar lights in villages are also part of its CSR initiatives.