South Asian Mayors discuss burning issues of cities

South Asian Mayor’s Forum, (SAMF) organised as part of the 6th Asian Cities Summit, began with a brief introduction of speakers by Abhishek Pandey, Editor of Urban Update. Ashok Kumar, President of UCLG ASPAC, was first in the line of speakers to address the gathering, during which he focused on the importance of collaboration, coordination and experience sharing. He also spoke briefly about the local bodies in the Himalayan country, Nepal. Later Dr Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi, Secretary General, UCLG ASPAC, spoke about the importance of U20 communiqué especially when this time India will be hosting the 2023 edition of the G20 Summit in September in New Delhi. She also shed light on some of the previous U20 Summits and their communiqués, which were later submitted and included in the G20 document.
Hemanthi Goonasekra, FSLGA, stressed that challenges before the local governments in South Asia might be similar, but each government deals with them in their unique way. The methodology adopted by one local government could be replicated in other places. She also talked about the role of technology in making our cities smart and sustainable.
Ravi Ranjan Guru, DDG, AIILSG, provided a brief introduction about the All India Institute of Local Self-Government and some of the initiatives run by the organisation. He talked about Maharashtra Mayor’s Forum, Gujarat Mayor’s Forum and Urban Dialogue etc.
Later Dr Jairaj Phatak, IAS (Retd), DG, AIILSG, shared his experience and briefly talked about the power struggle between Mayors and Commissioners. He emphasised that articulation of public grievances could be better done by an elected representative, and Mayors have to learn the ethos of administration and should understand the limitation of budget.
Followed by Dr Jairaj Phatak, Piero Roberto Remitti, Co-managing Director of Global Covenant of Mayors, talked about the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM) and the role played by the coalition in enhancing the capacity of cities not just in Asia but in the world to become climate resilient.
Dr Sudhir Krishna, IAS (Retd), Former Secretary, MoUD, the keynote speaker in the Forum, talked about how cities around the globe are now copying the same pattern of development, which destroys the identity of a city which used to create a sense of belonging for the citizens. He also talked about the governance models and said that all civic bodies should get the same treatment irrespective of their size or their budget’s size.
S K Singh, IAS (Retd), Member, Real Estate Regulatory Tribunal Bihar, was last to take his place at the podium. During his address, he talked about how the local body head has very little say in the local governance, and the feedback about the performance of the local government comes from the Chief Minister of that state and not from the local heads. He also said that states focus on the centralisation of power, when it comes to the local bodies, but the focus should be on the decentralisation of power.
Finally, Kiritkumar J Parmar, Mayor of Ahmedabad, which holds the chair of U20 this year, talked about how discussions over the six identity areas are being held all over the country. He also stressed the need to shift to electric transport and phase out fossil fuel vehicles.