Supported by the European Union, International Urban Cooperation India project, the cooperation between Shimla and Wolverhampton (UK) is progressing. A six-member delegation from the City of Wolverhampton headed by the council leader, Mr. Ian Brookfield is visiting Shimla during 21 October – 24 October, 2019 to meet with the Mayor of Shimla, Ms. Kusum Sadret, the Municipal Commissioner, Mr. Pankaj Rai of the City of Shimla, Himachal Pradesh and key city representatives. The group comprises of representatives from Wolverhampton City Municipality and local businesses from Wolverhampton. The purpose of this exchange visit is to strengthen the cooperation based on a local action plan, visit various smart city sites, and exchange best practices, esoecially in the fields of Waste management, Pollution, Litter and fly tipping, Reduction of car use (traffic, car parking, promoting alternative transport) SMART city / use of technology and IT for efficiency in environmental initiatives.

On this occasion, the head of the delegation, Mr. Ian Brookfield from Wolverhampton has said, “We are very delighted to be here. It is indeed a good chance to work with an important city like Shimla. We are here to assess the baseline scenarios based on which we will be finalizing a roadmap to work with Shimla. The EU International Urban Cooperation project provides us with this unique opportunity and we look forward to a productive partnership”

The Mayor of Shimla, Ms. Kusum Sadret said, “We are very satisfied with the pairing with Wolverhampton. There are very good opportunities for both Shimla and Wolverhampton to work on common areas of priority. We anticipate that this pairing will result into some real time solutions which will be useful for the citizens of Shimla”

IUC/India, is part of the corresponding global IUC Programme. It is financed by the European Union, and implemented by a consortium of GFA Consulting Group GmbH (leader) and CRISIL. The IUC aims to boost cooperation on sustainable urban development with EU partners in Asia and the Americas. 

For more information contact Mr. Ashish Verma, IUC/India, averma@iuc-india.eu