Metropolis World Congress to begin tomorrow

All arrangements in place for first biggest event in T State

• Governor ESL Narasimhan to officially inaugurate the meet on Oct 7
• Cyberabad cops to double up as guides apart from ensuring security of the delegates
• Over 2,000 delegates including 400 participants from 50 countries to attend the meet

Hyderabad: Hyderabad is all set to host the XI Metropolis World Congress from October 6 to 10 in a grand scale. Arrangements have been made to make the event a memorable one, according to officials.

“This is the biggest event after the formation of Telangana State. 2,000 delegates including 400 participants from 50 countries have confirmed their participation. The event would propel ‘Brand Hyderabad’ and improve investments and make it a happening city,” informed Telangana Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma here on Saturday.

Governor E S L Narasimhan will inaugurate the Congress on October 7. Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and others will attend it.

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Commissioner Somesh Kumar told the media that President Pranab Mukherjee would address the valedictory function on October 9 and former President APJ Abdul Kalam would be delivering the first technical address at the plenary session. Nobel Peace Prize winner R Pachauri would be speaking on ‘The Politics of Climate Change & Global Cities’. The theme of the congress, Cities for All, encompasses the functioning of democracy and extends the living city experiences. The four broad sub-themes are Urban Equity, Governance, Finance and Urban India. The main topics that will be covered in the sessions are 100 Smart Cities, India Way Forward - Cooperation for Indian Smart Cities, Healthy People - Health Cities, Green Building Towards Sustainable Cities, Driving Youth Engagement in Cities, Housing for All, City Management Services related to waste water, roads and sanitation.

Mayors from smart cities such as Barcelona and Berlin will share their experiences on how their cities were transformed. The Metropolis also has a specific agenda on issues such as women, green buildings and cities like Barcelona, Mexico, Seoul and Sao Paulo demonstrating their initiatives. The Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), Centre for Good Governance (CGG) and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) are the knowledge partners of the congress.

Cyberabad police will double up as guides as well as provide security for delegates. Seventy-two constables, mostly below the age 30, would be on the beck and call of the delegates. Smartly dressed in beige coloured trousers, blue T-shirt and sun shades, they would make sure that the delegates are picked and dropped from their hotels. Cyberabad Police Commissioner C V Anand said the escort constables would provide security to the delegates and also would help them by providing information on localities and specialities of the city. A workshop on soft skills was held for the constables, he said.

Emphasis on hospitality
The State government is emphasizing on hospitality to the delegates. A special welcome counter would greet the delegates at the airport and there will be no queue at the registration counters. The GHMC Commissioner informed the reporters that special police vehicles were arranged to fetch them from the airport to the hotels.

“Roads have been spruced up and work on most of the identified 125 kms is complete. Barricades at Hyderabad Metro Rail project have been removed for the smooth flow and traffic interceptor vehicles will be made available at important junctions. We want all the delegates to have a comfortable stay and go back with good memories,” said the GHMC chief.