Telangana signs LoI with Japanese eco town firms for circular economy initiatives

Telangana government has signed Letters of Intent (LoIs) with leading Japanese eco town companies to collaborate on circular economy initiatives and establish an eco town in Hyderabad. The LoIs--focused on waste management, recycling, and environmental restoration--were signed during Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy's ongoing visit to Japan, according to an official release on Sunday.

As part of the official 'Telangana Rising' delegation, the team took a bullet train from Shin-Osaka to Kitakyushu--one of the world's most advanced cities in recycling, sustainable urban policies, and a model of environmental transformation. Once one of the most polluted cities, Kitakyushu is now among the cleanest, it said.

The Mayor of Kitakyushu, Kazuhisa Takeuchi, expressed enthusiasm about collaborating with Hyderabad and Telangana, promising support from both the Kitakyushu government and its companies in sharing knowledge, processes, technology, and experience to help the state achieve excellence in environmental engineering and restoration.


We are delighted that we would be working together to establish an eco town in Hyderabad, said Revanth Reddy.

Both sides also discussed granting sister city status to Kitakyushu and Hyderabad.

The Japanese side requested a direct flight between the two cities, while Reddy proposed establishing a Japanese-language school in Hyderabad.

Kitakyushu, located on Japan's Kyushu Island, is renowned for its transformation of the Murasaki River--from a heavily polluted waterway to one of the cleanest, with significant riverfront development.

The Kitakyushu city government took the chief minister and his delegation--which included IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu and senior officials--on a study tour of the river museum to showcase the river restoration project.

The delegation also experienced a guided riverfront walk and visited industrial recycling facilities to gain insights into global technologies and best practices in the circular economy, the release added.

Circular economy aims to eliminate waste and keep resources in use for as long as possible.