Nagpur: President of India Pranab Mukherjee attended the 151st year celebrations of Nagpur Mahanagarpalika on September 14.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that Nagpur Mahanagarpalika has a long and illustrious history beginning 1864 when it came into existence as a municipality. He added that in this long and glorious journey, it has carved out a special place for itself in providing quality civic amenities and has implemented many important projects and fulfilled its primary responsibilities towards its citizens.

The President said that managing the urbanization is the most complex problem that India is facing today. He proposed that the challenges of providing water, power, sanitation, education and other facilities need to be addressed in a short span of time.

He said, "Europe and America took centuries to address these problems but people in India today are impatient and ask how long should we wait. The challenge of urbanization should be addressed jointly by the people and their representatives. Responsibilities should be shared between the electors and elected. Only if both electors and elected do their jobs properly, the wheels of development will move forward smoothly and unhindered."

The President complimented the city of Nagpur for its cosmopolitan character. He said that the fact that people from all over India want to stay in the city after retirement reflects the openness of the local population towards cultural assimilation. The President said that Nagpur as the centre of India has been a catalytic agent of peaceful transformation. There is no room for intolerance, non-cooperation or hostility towards each other in our cities. Everyone should live together, work together and develop together to achieve our common objectives. This is the lesson from all major metropolises.

(PIB)