Kochi, Kerala | Wednesday, October 26, 2022
A 2-day event on Urban Sustainability and Smart City was organised in Kochi on 26th and 27th October 2022, under the India - EU Urban Partnership (IEUP), a project between the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India, and the European Union (EU). This was the first of four such events in the series, with a focus on Solid Waste Management, Urban Resilience and Mobility.
The event was inaugurated by Adv. M. Anil Kumar, Hon’ble Mayor, Kochi Municipal Corporation. Ms. Kamilla Kristensen Rai, Counsellor, EU Delegation to India made the welcome address (virtually), while Ms. Sarada Muraleedharan, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Kerala delivered the keynote address (virtually).
The sessions were structured as sectoral panel discussions wherein panellists shared their knowledge on the panel topic. This was followed by an interactive discussion amongst the audience and the panellists. The panellists were selected to represent the local context, an outsiders’ view of working in Kochi, and an EU perspective.
There was participation from five sectoral experts from EU Member States. Developments in the areas of solid waste management, urban resilience, and mobility solutions in the context of Kochi were deliberated upon by these experts with wide ranging interactions with the Indian stakeholders.
The event was attended by approximately 80 participants, from Kerala State Electricity Board Limited (KSEBL), Cochin Department Authority, Government Engineering College (GEC) Kochi, Ernakulam District Residents Associations Apex Council (EDRAAC), GIZ, Kochi Smart Bus Limited (KSBL), SYSTRA, Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Kochi (ICCI), Public Works Department, School of Planning Delhi (SPA), Kochi Metropolitan Transport Authority (KMTA), Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), Centre for Heritage (C-Hed), Center for Public Policy Research (CPPR), Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML), St. Terresa College, Kochi, Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), AMRUT Kochi, Kochi Metro Rail Ltd. (KMRL), National Institute of Technology (NIT) Calicut, Kerala Startup Mission (KSM) amongst others.
One of the benefits expected from the event was to get feedback on the ‘Contribution to a Policy Framework for Mobility as a Shared Service (MaaS)’ in India from the EU and Indian participation. In this regard the findings from the policy brief were presented and were well received by the concerned stakeholders.