DEHRA DUN: The three-day, first Asian Mayors' conference got under way here on Sunday with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa urging participants to develop models of excellence where every individual in a town became part of a movement to make it a place worth living.

Inaugurating the meet, Mr. Rajapaksa felt that the municipal bodies would have to look out for more funds from the Government and other agencies as their own revenue was too little to solve the problems that came with urbanisation.

"City governance and urban well-being are closely interlinked and the Mayors will have to display leadership skills and managerial qualities of the highest order to attract funds and active participation of every resident if they are to succeed as performers in a challenging world."

Sri Lanka was studying India's Panchayati Raj experience to take lessons from it and evolve its own model of maximum devolution within a unitary State as a solution to the problems faced in the north and east, the President said.

"Check migration"

Uttaranchal Chief Minister Narayan Dutt Tiwari expressed the hope that the conference would lead to a road map for better governance, potable water, waste management, environment protection and social awakening of the masses to keep their city clean.

Later Mr. Rajapaksa laid the foundation stone for the `Indo-Sri Lanka Human Rights Centre for South Asian Countries' on the campus of the local non-Governmental organisation — Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK).

PTI reports:

The Sri Lankan President, who will be meeting Indian leaders in New Delhi, pitched for joint patrolling of the sea with India to crack down on arms and drugs smuggling.

Joint patrolling

"I will be explaining my position to them (Indian leaders), we want joint patrolling with India in the sea because not only arms are being smuggled into our country but drugs are also coming," Mr. Rajapaksa told reporters.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail