SPEECH
BY SHRI K.R.NARAYANAN, PRESIDENT OF INDIA,
WHILE RECEIVING THE KEYS TO THE CITY OF LIMA
THURSDAY, APRIL 30,
1998
Dr. Alberto Andrade Carmona,
The Mayor of Lima, Excellencies, Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen
I am touched by the warmth
of your welcome and the sentiments of appreciation that you have expressed
about India. I thank you for these and for the honour bestowed on me today,
which I will always cherish. It is a privilege, Mr. Mayor, to be in this
city of resplendent history, whose fame has long been known to us in India.
We have admired the elegance of its setting and the pride the people of
Lima take in its history, its beauty and its liveliness.
I am aware that in the
seventeenth century, Lima was the largest city in South America, with a
population of 30,000, the hub of official business, trade, military activities,
and religious affairs of the immense viceroyalty of Peru, stretching from
Panama to Argentina. It is particularly befitting that this lovely city
should have been declared a cultural patrimony of humanity by UNESCO in
l99l.
But while it is true
that the city has had a glorious past, it is not only with the pride of
its past that Lima greets the visitor of today. The city bespeaks the imperatives
of the present and a positive, confident outlook for the future.
A distinguished Indian
architect recently observed: "The city - any city - always seems to show
its best face from a distance." That is not true of Lima and may I compliment
the Mayor and his colleagues on the high standards of city-care practised
here. Lima, I am delighted but not surprised to see, is now a throbbing
metropolis of seven million people. Similarly, the big cities of India,
New Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Chennai and Bangalore, have developed into
metropolises each with populations of approaching ten, and sometimes exceeding
ten million. Ours is undoubtedly the age of the large city, the megapolis
where buildings rise and water tables fall; where populations increase and
services struggle to keep in step; where Mayors and City Corporators face
a running battle against Time's "unforgiving minute".
This spectacular growth
and change, has created new realities. There is the unrelenting quest of
thousands of migrants from our villages, in both countries, each in search
for a house of their own, for employment, and for a bright future for their
children.
Mr. Mayor, it is necessary
for our cities to develop more contacts and interaction. In South America,
the urban population is 70 % to 75 % of the total; in India it is in the
region of 25 %. But the percentage is growing, making it essential that
we share our experiences in development and provide for exchanges between
local level leadership, municipalities, and various experts who are working
in the areas of education, health, environmental management, sanitation
and infrastructure development. I hope that in the near future, we will
prepare a blueprint for such a relationship.
Mr. Mayor, may I conclude
by saying that the goals of our development, national, urban and rural,
are similar: the abolition of poverty and the ushering in of an era of prosperity
for all. Our cities must regard this as an enterprise of the highest moment.
Thank you
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