After nearly four years in Chennai, Australia’s Consul General for South India, Sean Kelly, will return to Canberra next week.
Thursday will be his last working day in Chennai and Mr. Kelly recalled the work his team put in during this period.
In an interview , Mr. Kelly said Australia’s relationship with the southern States had deepened considerably during this period. “This came with a particular focus on economic ties,” he said.
Projects with States
According to Mr. Kelly, the ‘structured engagements’ concept that he brought in had reaped benefits, leading to many projects with the Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and more recently, Tamil Nadu governments.
One of the things the Australian Consulate General is working on in Tamil Nadu is making the roads safer. “Something we are trying in Tamil Nadu are roller safety barriers.”
The Consul General said roller safety barriers would help prevent cars from crashing in case the driver lost control. “Essentially, when you have a sharp turn and the cars go over the edge, instead of crashing into the barrier, the car actually rolls off and goes back on to the road. So, it stops accidents and will also reduce fatalities,” he said
The roller barriers would be placed on the outer edges of the road, and the Consulate General hopes to sign an agreement with the State government soon, Mr. Kelly said.
On Wednesday, at his last official function, Mr. Kelly launched the ‘Innovative Australia’ exhibition, showcasing Australia’s excellence in science, technology and innovation.
“As the exhibition shows, Australians were responsible for many important scientific advances, from the invention of wifi and Google maps to the black box flight recorder and ultrasound scanner,” he said. The exhibition will also showcase various achievements of Australia, and will be toured across South India.
