Berhampur city showed off at BRICs conclave in China; to have international tie-ups

After the recent 'sister city' tie-up between Bhubaneswar and Cupertino City of California, there are chances of more cities of Odisha joining hands with their counterparts in Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa. Mayors of the three municipal corporations (Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Berhampur) of Odisha participated in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Friendship Cities and Local Governments Cooperation Forum conclave in China on December 2. A number of foreign diplomats, politicians and entrepreneurs discussed issues like food safety, eco-friendly urban development, financial crisis and energy strategies, besides steps to foster communication and exchange programmes between the five countries at the BRICS Forum.

An independent international organization, BRICS Forum encourages commercial, political and cultural cooperation between the BRICS nations.  

The mayors, who returned from the event on Monday, said they described the art, culture, festivals and business potentials of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Berhampur and appealed to the foreign delegates to start "exchange" programmes in different areas to boost local-level cooperation.

Berhampur mayor Siba Sankar Dash said he earned a pat from the foreign delegates for taking a pro-poor step for cycle, rickshaw and bullock-cart drivers in the town. "Recently we stopped collecting tax from the drivers. The delegates praised the corporation as the step helps save fuel," Dash said. The tourism potential of Berhampur, which is close to the seaside tourist spot of Gopalpur, TaraTarini, Taptapani and Chilka lake was also highlighted in the meet, Dash said. "The forum offered a good platform to share our experiences and skills in tackling problems that our cities were facing. We learnt from each other to prepare ourselves better to face the challenges," he said.
Sources: Times of India, The Sambad, Dsoftsolution.org