By Indranil Halder
Hon. Andrew Charlton MP, the newly elected Labor MP from the Sydney suburb Parramatta, has said that he wants to make Harris Park (a precint in Parramatta) a vibrant tourist destination like no other in the Southern Hemisphere which will be like Little India in Singapore, Bricklane in London or Little India Village in Los Angeles.
Parramatta MP, Andrew Charlton meeting Indian-Australian businesspeople and speaking about ‘Little India’ (Video source: Indranil Halder)
Mr Charlton said this in a meeting organised by The Little India Harris Park Business Association Inc to discuss the development of Harris Park which included Donna Davis – Lord Mayor of Parramatta and Deputy Mayor Sameer Pandey. There were also talks of constructing an ‘India Gate’ in Sydney at this meeting.
Mr Sanjay Deshwal (President of Little India Harris Park Business Association) who organised this meeting along with Mr Nitin Setia (Ginger Indian Restaurant), requested collaboration between Council and the community for vibrant streets, events, support for local businesses, heritage conservation for residential areas and construction of a potential ‘India Gate’.
The Parramatta Council and Mr Charlton expressed their vision to make ‘Little India’ a tourist precinct in the years to come and have already initiated this by consulting local businesses.
The meeting that was held at Momozz restaurant in Harris Park was also attended by Mr Abbas Ramsada who was recently mentioned by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a childhood friend.
Mr Charlton mentioned that it was time to work towards more commitments from the Government for the Indian community.
Mayor & Deputy Mayor of Parramatta also showed their eagerness to bring changes in Harris Park at the earliest.
Mr Charlton welcomed suggestions from the community and mentioned that talk is going on between Australia and India for free trade, which is very good news for both countries. He said he hoped that the agreement would be the first part of a relationship that comes right to the centre of Australia’s economy in the next 20 years.
Mr Charlton also spoke about the importance of shifting the pivot to India for enhanced economic engagement. He mentioned about Labor government’s commitment to India as the future is in IT, digital and cyber technology.
The meeting was attended by businesspeople from the Punjabi, Gujarati and Bengali communities.
Contributing Author: Indranil Halder is Multicultural Ambassador for MHF (Mental Health Foundation) and ex Ambassador for FOMA (Fabrics of Multicultural Australia). He is also Brand Ambassador for Bollywood Car (Australia’s only vintage Indian style taxi), ex Ambassador for IABCA (India Australia Business and Community Alliance) and Social Media Influencer on Bengal Heritage, Lifestyle & Culture.
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