A trip to Moscow is on the cards for Chandigarh Mayor Harpreet Babla. She will be off to the Russian capital to attend the BRICS Urban Future Forum 2025, which is to be held from September 17-18.
Babla received a political clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs on Friday for the international trip.
When asked as to who shall bear the expense pertaining to the Russia trip, Mayor Babla said the invitees shall be funding the trip and not the Chandigarh administration.
Sources said that her husband, Devinder Babla, will be accompanying her to Russia. When asked about his expenses, it was stated that “he has purchased his flight tickets on his own.”
More than 15,000 participants and over 300 speakers from 30 countries will participate in the Forum.
Heads of cities, leaders of international businesses, and experts have been invited to the Forum to discuss and find effective technological solutions for the development of megacities.
Speakers, including Sergey Sobyanin, Mayor of Moscow; Eduardo da Costa Paes, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro; Wu Qingwen, Mayor of Suzhou; and Yanis Varoufakis, former finance minister of Greece, among others, will be attending the event.
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At the Forum, there will also be an exchange of best practices and knowledge on how the use of cloud technologies and smart city concepts can increase the efficiency of urban infrastructure for businesses and improve the quality of life of city residents.
Chandigarh Mayor shall be delivering an address on the topic ‘Technological Framework of the City. The Space of the Future’.
In addition, Babla is also supposed to hold meetings with key Russian officials, including S Cheremin, Minister of the Government of Moscow and the Chairman of the Business Council for Cooperation with India.
