Mayor Saurabh Joshi on Tuesday signed Expressions of Intent (EoIs) with his counterparts in Guwahati, Kolhapur and Gangtok to promote inter-city cooperation and facilitate the exchange of innovative municipal best practices.
The EoIs were signed with Guwahati mayor Mrigen Sarania, Kolhapur’s Ruparani Sangramsinh and Gangtok’s Tshering Palden Bhutia on the sidelines of the 118th All India Mayors’ Conference. The initiative aims to establish a platform for the participating cities to share knowledge and successful practices in areas such as urban cleanliness, solid waste management, environmental sustainability, public spaces, citizen-centric services, digital governance and innovative approaches to urban development. It will also facilitate interaction between elected representatives, municipal officers, technical personnel and other functionaries so they can adapt the best practices tailored to their local requirements. During their visit to Chandigarh, the mayors and delegates visited various municipal projects and civic facilities, including the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC), Pink Material Recovery Facility (MRF), public parks and gardens, Sukhna Lake, Rose Garden and Capitol Complex. Besides a call for a uniform five-year tenure for mayors, greater financial autonomy for urban local bodies, the participants also discussed the need for technology-driven governance, clean and sustainable urban development, inclusive growth, citizen participation and efficient delivery of civic services.
Joshi said regular virtual discussions and online knowledge-sharing programmes would also be organised under the exchange initiative, providing participating civic body authorities an opportunity to share updates, experiences and innovative solutions without waiting for physical visits. Pledge for self-sufficient cities Meanwhile, at the conclusion of the conference, the mayors’ unanimously adopted the ‘Chandigarh Sankalp’ – “Sashakt Mahapaur, Sashakt Shehar, Viksit Bharat”, giving a renewed call for self-sufficient, empowered urban local bodies and a stronger role for elected mayors in shaping the future of Indian cities.
