Sister-city cooperation talks between Chennai and Vladivostok have been delayed owing to the model code of conduct in effect for the upcoming Lok Sabha election.
Before the announcement of the Lok Sabha election, the cities had planned to hold talks for sister-city cooperation. The first video conference for sister-city cooperation was scheduled on Monday in the presence of Chennai Mayor R.Priya and senior officials from Vladivostok. The talks were expected to focus on educational development, urban development and sustainable development of the cities.
As the offices of elected representatives were sealed on the premises of Ripon Buildings after the announcement of Lok Sabha election, the first video conference could not be held on Monday. The talks are expected to resume only after three months, after the new government is elected after the Lok Sabha poll results are declared in June.
Vladivostok, the largest Russian port in the Pacific Ocean, has several similarities with Chennai and is expected to contribute to cultural, scientific and tourism development in Chennai city. Vladivostok is also famous for parks and squares, attracting a large number of visitors. Chennai is expected to learn from the urban planning of parks and squares as the city has started redevelopment of areas, such as Central Square near heritage buildings like Victoria Public Hall, Central Railway Station and Ripon Buildings.
Chennai has already signed sister-city agreements with Volgograd, Denver, San Antonio, Chongqing, Ulsan and Kuala Lumpur. Major projects, such as Cooum river eco-restoration have been launched after senior officials from Tamil Nadu government visited U.S. cities, such as San Antonio to study the project to mitigate pollution in rivers of urban areas.
