T. Thiyagaran sworn in pro-tem Speaker of Puducherry

T. Thiagarajan, Member of Legislative Assembly from the Bahour constituency, was sworn in pro tem Speaker of the Puducherry Legislative Assembly at the Raj Nivas here on Wednesday. Lieutenant Governor Iqbal Singh administered the oath of affirmation.

Mr. Thiagarajan, who belonged to the All India N.R Congress, defeated former Speaker R. Radhakrishnan in the recent Assembly elections.

The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy and newly-elected MLAs belonging to the AINRC.

None of the MLAs belonging to the other parties, including the Congress, the AIADMK and the DMK, attended the ceremony, though Raj Nivas sources said that invitation was sent to all of them.

While a release from the Assembly Secretary on Tuesday said that a session of the Legislative Assembly would be convened on Friday, when the newly-elected members would take oath, there was no indication from the ruling AINRC about expansion of the Cabinet.

This was despite the fact that over 15 days have passed on Wednesday since Mr. Rangasamy took charge as Chief Minister.

Pondicherry: 300 hospitalised after chlorine gas leak

At least 300 people living near Chemfab Alkalis Limited's plant in Pondicherry were hospitalised on Wednesday after a chlorine gas leak from the factory affected them, an official said.

"None of the people admitted is in a serious condition. Till afternoon, only around 70 people were admitted. But after 12.30 pm, the number of people being admitted has increased. Now, there are around 300 people. We will review their condition and discharge around 250 of them later today," medical superintendent of Indira Gandhi Government Hospital said.


The Union Territory's administration has ordered immediate closure of the factory.

"Around 7.30 am, workers in the factory were filling chlorine gas in 900-kg cylinders. One of the cylinders leaked and the wind carried the gas to the nearby village, where the people complained of nausea and discomfort," Pondicherry district collector Rakesh Chandra said.

According to him, none of the 300 workers in the Chemfab factory was affected as the wind blew the leaked gas away.

The Rs. 87.29 crore turnover Chemfab Alkali makes caustic soda lyke, liquid chlorine, hydrochloric acid, sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen gas and barium sulphate.

The Pondicherry administration put the number of people admitted to the hospital at 30, of whom three have been discharged.

According to officials in the Kalapet police station, around 70 people have been admitted to the hospital.

According to Chandra, an ex-gratia amount may be announced by the administration Thursday.

"The relief for the suffering has to be claimed as per the procedure laid in the Industries Act," he added.

Homage paid to tsunami victims

Hundreds of fishermen thronged the beaches in Puducherry to offer prayers in memory of those killed in the tsunami that struck the coast in December 2004.

Fishermen living in the coastal villages of Puducherry, particularly residents of Chinnakalapet, Periyakalapet, Ganapathichettikulam, Murthikuppam and Pillaichavady, where the maximum number of deaths occurred, paid homage to the victims.

The Joint Action Committee of Puducherry State Fishermen Organisations organised a function on Beach Road near the Gandhi Statue on Sunday to mark the sixth anniversary of the tsunami.

A placard carrying pictures of those killed in the tragedy was kept on Beach Road. Union Minister of State for Planning, Parliamentary Affairs and Culture V. Narayanasamy, Social Welfare Minister M. Kandasamy, Member of the Legislative Assembly A. Anand, president of Puducherry Pradesh Congress committee A.V. Subramanian, secretary of the Joint Action Committee M. Elango and large number of people offered floral tributes.

Source

Puducherry CM V Vaithilingam declares assets

Puducherry Chief Minister V Vaithilingam today declared his assets in response to guidelines received from the Centre.

Vaithilingam released the details of his assets and that of his wife V Sasikala at a press meet here, saying "this is in keeping with the circular received from the Centre."

As per the statement of assets, Vaithilingam has deposits to the tune of Rs 11.85 lakh, mutual funds for Rs 18 lakh, LIC policy for Rs 12.25 lakh and 50 gm of gold. He has got 4,077 shares.

Besides having a plot at Boominapet measuring 322 sq m, he also owns a building measuring 21,600 sq ft at Moolakulam, two houses at 1,800 sq ft each at Brindavanam and a house at Madukarai, near Puducherry. In addition, he owns 11.52 hectares of agricultural land while his wife 3.8 hectares.

Hidesign unveils flagship store in Pondicherry

Global brand Hidesign has opened a flagship store in Pondicherry. Located at Jawaharlal Nehru Street, the store covers an area of 4,000 sq.ft, making it one of India’s largest concept stores to be set up by a luxury brand.

The company said the new store “aims to curate some of the most significant milestones from Hidesign’s past through museum pieces strewn across the store”. These museum pieces include the first handbag ever designed by Hidesign.



The flagship store reveals the brand’s history through a timeline displayed in the travel section on Level 3 of the store and a collage of its advertisement campaigns showcased on Level 2. Also, aptly displayed on the pillars across the four levels of the store are pictures of the ‘People of Hidesign’ – individuals who have helped build the brand – and the ‘Stores of Hidesign’ across the world.

The store will soon have an in-house café, which will offer wine and cheese platters with local flavours, among other things, the company said.

Founded by Dilip Kapur in 1978, Hidesign is a lifestyle group. Recently, the group extended its concept of lifestyle by opening two luxury boutique hotels – Le Dupleix and Promenade – in Pondicherry.

Auroville an embodiment of spirit of unity: Sibal

Lauding the concept of Auroville, Union Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal said “it is larger than life and it is much more than India is.”

“We all live in an imperfect world and perfection is one we strive to achieve,” he said adding Auroville has shown the world the importance of spirit of unity and humanness. “It symbolises what we ought to have done across the world,” he said addressing the Aurovillians after launching Passage, an educational magazine.

Touching upon educational scenario in the country, Mr Sibal said “education as we understand over the years was a formal structure for a child to start his career. It has never taught to understand the self.” However, taking into account the present “imperfect world” dominated by market economy, the country cannot afford to do away with formal education.

The option before the government was to allow the child to choose what he or she could find joy in learning, Mr Sibal said.

Later in an informal talk with journalists at Auroville, the Union Minister said talks are on with insurance companies to provide health insurance coverage to teachers and group housing coverage. The aim was to attract more number of people to teaching profession, he added.

Union Minister of State for Planning, Parliamentary Affairs and Culture V. Narayanasamy also attended the function.

Source

17th International yoga festival opened on Jan05

The annual yoga festival has entered into a position of importance in the national calendar of tourism events, Lieutenant Governor Iqbal Singh has said.

Declaring open the 17th international yoga festival here on Tuesday, Mr. Singh said that the festival has become synonymous with Puducherry.

Complementing the Tourism Department for devising the concept of yoga festival and popularising the event, the Lieutenant Governor said performance by experts in yoga would help attract more people, especially youngsters to practice yoga.

“I am confident that apart from being a grand event, it would achieve the desired objective of promoting Puducherry as an ideal tourist destination on the map of national and international tourists,” he said.

Pointing out that yoga is “not a religion,” he said it is a way of living that aims at developing a healthy mind in a healthy body.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister V. Vaithilingam said the government was keen on promoting Puducherry on the international tourism map. Responding to a suggestion made by Rajya Sabha Member P. Kannan that yoga should be made compulsory in school curriculum, he said it could be made optional.

Others who attended the inaugural function included Members of the Legislative Assembly K. Lakshminarayan, S.P. Sivakumar and Chairperson of Puducherry Municipality B. Sridevi.

Source

Department of Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering of PEC launched Website

The Department of Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering (EIE) of the Pondicherry Engineering College (PEC) launched a website – www.eiecouncil.com – at the inaugural of the students’ council on Thursday.

According to a press release, the website would provide articles, games, news, learning topics, projects in various categories such as technical, cultural, sports and literary, besides providing guidance for GATE, GRE and CAT exams.

Retired Indian Navy Captain J.V. Avadhanulu inaugurated the council and spoke about awareness of inner resources to fulfil dreams.

Principal V. Prithiviraj and Head of EIE department R. Anandanatarajan were present. The students council of the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering conducted an one-day workshop for students on “Sequential circuit design and vending machines,” on Friday.

Source

Government of Puducherry Recruits VAO (Village Administrative Officer). Applications Available.

Dear readers, This is my quick post but i wanted to make sure that I keep you updated. Government of Puducherry recruits VAO (Village Administrative Officer) for Revenue and Disaster Management. The government issued the application on Oct 01 as it is mentioned in the official website of Government of Puducherry. You can check out the site at http://www.pon.nic.in/

I am sure there will be thousands and thousands of applicants for 40 VAO vacancies.

I know the quality of the above picture is not clear but yet you can download VAO application here and see it for yourself. If you want to know more about Government vacancies and postings, you can check out Puducherry Government jobs page.

I wish all the success for those who appear for the post.

All the best!

Kannan elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha

Former Speaker P. Kannan was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha after deadline for the withdrawal of nominations ended on Saturday at 3 p.m. Secretary, Legislative Assembly, M. Sivaprakasam, told The Hindu that he had communicated to the Election Commission that since there was no other valid nomination, Mr. Kannan, sponsored by the Congress, was declared elected.

The seat fell vacant following the election of V. Narayanasamy to the Lok Sabha.

He subsequently became Union Minister of State for Planning, Parliamentary Affairs and Culture.

Mr. Kannan will be the eighth prominent politician to represent the Union Territory in the Rajya Sabha.

The first election to the Rajya Sabha from the Union Territory was held in 1963 and Congress member P. Abraham won the seat.

Mr. Sivaprakasam handed over the certificate declaring his election to Mr. Kannan. Chief Minister V. Vaithilingam and Minister for Public Works M.O.H.F. Shahjahan were present.

India ranked ninth in world tree planting

India has been ranked ninth in the tree planting roll of honour in a campaign to plant a billion trees, which was launched by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in November 2006.

The country has registered 96 million trees. Under this plan, civil society and governments are asked to register the number of trees that have been planted in their respective countries. So far, 167 countries have participated in this programme.

The initial target set by the UNEP was to plant at least one billion trees worldwide each year. The billionth tree was an olive planted in Ethiopia in November 2007.

After the campaign hit the two billion mark in May 2008, the UNEP decided to set a new goal of seven billion trees, which is one for every person on the planet. The four billion mark was reached in May 2009.

India, however, could be much higher in the ranking, according to UNEP officials who say that the country does not formally register or report all its campaigns.

"India could have planted a billion of trees already this year," Satinder Bindra, director of communications at UNEP, said. "It would be fantastic if those trees were also registered with the campaign."

Online Movie Ticketing in Puducherry for Kandasami

I'm surprisingly thrilled to know an online ticketing service in Pondicherry for the film Kandasami, stared by Vikram and Shriya. Recently in Onlinepuduvai's "Share your local News" section, i received a message from Limata.com saying that they have started online movie ticketing in Puducherry for Kandasami through Muruga Theatre.


The message goes like "Dear Friends, we have started online movie ticketing in Pondy through Muruga theatre. You can book ur tickets at www.Limata.com. Thanks"

This is absolutely a great news! Thanks for the guys who are behind this interesting service. Friends what do you wait for? Just shop your ticket online and enjoy the show!

Pharmaceutical Company at Kurumbapet given closure order

The Puducherry Pollution Control Committee (PPCC) has issued a closure order to Taica Labs, a pharmaceutical company in Kurumbapet.

Special Secretary to Government and Chairman of the PPCC G. Theva Neethi Dhas told The Hindu that the unit had been issued directions for closure, for unauthorised manufacture of liquid formulations such as tonics.

Environmental Engineer of the PPCC N. Ramesh said that the directions were issued with the approval of the Chairman of the PPCC and the recommendation of Member Secretary G. Rajmohan.

The Department of Electricity had also been directed to stop power supply to the unit.

Mr. Ramesh said that the unit obtained licence to operate from the PPCC in February 2007, stating that it would only manufacture tablets and capsules. Water was not required in the manufacturing process, and there was no scope for effluents to be released. Later, the unit started unauthorised manufacture of tonics with alcohol content. This was brought to the notice of the PPCC by complaints from residents of the area, he said.

According to a resident of Raghavendra Nagar in Kurumbapet, “The unit started to discharge effluents into public drains, because of which water turned green. There was open discharge of effluents too, because of which even grass stopped growing in the area. We started to get frequent bouts of fever and developed skin allergy. There was a strong odour released by the effluents, because of which children used to vomit.”

Mr. Ramesh said that the unit had been collecting effluents in a sump and pumping it into roadside drains through an underground pipe.

Officials of the PPCC inspected the unit and discovered the violation.

“We then issued the unit a show cause notice. But, because the response was evasive and not satisfactory, we have now issued directions for closure under Section 33A of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974,” Mr. Ramesh said.

Battle of friends in Puducherry: Narayanasamy and Ramadoss

It will be a battle between two friends in the Union Territory of Puducherry where Union Minister of State and Congress General Secretary V Narayanasamy is taking on his college mate and PMK nominee M Ramadoss in the May 13 Lok Sabha polls.

The two, who had shared a close friendship while studying in the Government Tagore Arts College ( My College! I too completed my graduation ) here in the 1960s, have turned rivals with the PMK dumping the DMK-Congress led DPA and joining the AIADMK-led front for the polls.

Mr. Ramadoss had won the seat in 2004 when the PMK was alloted the seat as part of the then rainbow alliance formed by DMK.

With PMK's exit, the ruling Congress had secured the lone Lok Sabha seat in the Union Territory for itself and fielded Mr. Nararyanasamy, a three-time Rajya Sabha member.

Both Mr. Narayanasamy and Mr. Ramadoss, in their 60s now, belong to semi-urban pockets of Nonankuppam and Murungapakkam localities of this former French colony respectively.

"He was my closest classmate. We used to study the subject of economics together. We would peruse the books taken from the library in the college," Mr. Narayanasamy said.

Mr. Ramadoss too recalled his close association with Mr. Narayanasamy in the college days and said he never expected then that they would one day battle it out in poll arena."I did not then expect that we would lock horns in elections."

Source

Municipality yet to keep promise of constructing building at Gingee Salai market

With no buildings, lights or basic amenities, 100 vendors at one of the popular fish-cum-vegetable markets in the boulevard have been facing hardships for several years now. Lack of attention from the local body and unhygienic surroundings have made the situation worse, the vendors alleged.

Home to around 150 shops, majority of them selling seafood, the market on Gingee Salai has been in need of attention for years. Rain or shine, the vendors carry on their business under thatched roofs erected by themselves.

“Some of us have been selling fish here for nearly 30 years. But the market does not even have basic infrastructure. Some of us have put up thatched roofs for our shops. During rain, we do our business with the help of umbrellas, as it is a question of life. The Puducherry Municipality, which runs the market, has been promising to construct a building but nothing has come through till now,” a seafood vendor said.

The vendors, mostly women, come from nearby areas of Vaithikuppam and Kuruchikuppam. “The market did not have drinking water facility two years ago. Only after repeated petitions made did the local body provide water supply here,” another vendor said.

However, women faced difficulty owing to lack of toilets. “The market is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and again from 4.30 p.m. to over 8 p.m. There are no lights here and we have to carry on the trade with the light from the nearby streetlights during evenings,” some vendors said.

Earlier, the vendors had been paying a tax of Rs. 3 to the municipality for utilising the market facility. They said that the local body had stopped cleaning the market leading to accumulation of garbage.

“Now, we are cleaning the market and clearing the garbage from the shops. Adding to our woes, the local body has started to station garbage lorries close to the market leading to unbearable stench,” a vendor said.

Besides, an old tree in the centre of the market has also been posing a threat to the vendors. “It’s rickety. A branch fell on an elderly vendor last month. We informed the municipality but no action has been taken. We have placed wooden planks on the tree trunk to prevent it from falling,” she added.

Meanwhile, the municipality had plans to construct a fish market here. At present, steps are being taken to construct a modern hygienic market through INTACH and the government has asked the agency to prepare estimates for the works, official sources said.

Source

Marching Towards Zero Dropout Rates in Schools by 2012

It’s indeed a great pleasure to announce that our union territory has achieved zero dropout rates at the primary school level last year. The steps don’t stop with this result and its marching towards the next level. The goals are all set to curb the student drop out rate in the middle school level. The plan to achieve the zero dropout rates by the year 2012 are chalked out and they are in the fast progress. We can also shook our collars that out home town has ranked on par with Kerala for achieving the zero drop out rates at the primary school level. The measures which are in the quick implementation have reduced the dropout rates from 10% to 2.39 %.



The Government is taking measures to reduce the drop out rates by assuring seats at the higher secondary level. The mid day meals and the incentive scheme up to standard 12 have also supplemented a lot for the retention process. The students are also provided with the free accessories such as uniforms, text books, footwear, stationary items, dictionary, raincoats and bicycles. These features reduce the parental burden and curb their hesitation to send the children to school, thus decreasing the drop out rates.

The bringing back of the dropouts through the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, the three to six months training courses to bridge the gap when the dropouts are mainstreamed, reaching out to children of nomadic tribes and migratory tribes, starting exclusive schools in their habitation and solving problems through counseling or special coaching are the forth coming plans to increase the literacy rate and thus we can strongly hope that our government will surely curb the problem of student dropouts from the schools.

Forest Department Urge to Protect The “TALI POT” Palm Trees

Do you people know about the “Tali Pot” palm trees? They are known as “Kodaipanai” in Tamil and they bloom once during their life time. The botanical name of the tree is “Corypha-umbraculifera”. The tree is given the name Kodaipanai as its flower resembles an umbrella. The tree grows to a height of six to eight meters in length.

The most striking factor of the tree is that it contains about 12 million small flowers and produces 500 Kg seeds in each inflorescence. The above said set up is used to maintain the progeny of the tree and it is also the largest trees in the palm family. Have you people started wondering why this article is so far talking about the palm trees?


The necessity has come to talk about this “Tali Pot” palm trees because the forest department of our home town has taken serious measures to protect these trees from the Rhinoceros beetle attack. The department has rescued ten Tali Pot trees that found near the Velrampet Lake. The department has sprayed pesticides and it is also providing the root treatment. It has also planned to erect iron rods around the tree as a protective measure.

The trees that are found near the Velrampet Lake are more than 60-foot tall an over 30 years old. The department has applied Lindane dust with fine sand on the top of the trees. These types of trees are also found on the Malabar Coast of the Western Ghats. They have also been taken to Singapore, the United States, Panama and Honolulu as ornamental trees. Thus this article throws light upon the urge of the forest department to protect a tree variety.

Problems behind the Construction Of Ariankupam Bridge

I was traveling to a renowned temple at Cuddalore through the Ariankuppam Bridge. When I was crossing the bridge, I was stuck at a traffic jam. Many private busses ply from Pondicherry to Cuddalore. The area also nurtures several educational institutions, hospitals and industrial areas. So the old bridge is not able to host this heavy traffic. Records say that the work to replace the 150-year-old bridge was started in the year 2005 and it was suspended due to the paucity of funds. The work that was commenced three years back has ended up with only few columns and piers being laid.



The initial estimate of the bridge is Rs. 15 crores and this lethargy in the work will surely lead to the increase in the estimated cost. Meanwhile the columns of the new bridge had sinked. But the defect was rectified after getting suggestion from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. The problem of the sinking columns could have been avoided if the Public Works Department had conducted a proper study on the sand condition. The other aggravating problem is the big cracks that are formed on the either side of the old bridge and they pose a big threat to the people who pass the bridge. So the Government must take immediate steps to release the funds and it must also take measures to give the contract to the responsible persons.


The executive engineer of the National Highways division has said the reporters that the new bridge would handle four-way traffic and have adequate space for pedestrians. So let us all hope that this will take place in the near future.

New prison complex at Periyakalapet, Puducherry

The new prison complex constructed at the outskirts of Periya Kalapet, costing Rs. 12 crores was opened on 21st August. The inaugural release issued by the Jail Department cites that the decision to shift the prison from the Jawaharlal Nehru Street was taken in February 1997. The construction of the new complex was started in the year 2001. The new jail complex is infrastructured with an administrative block, separate yards for male and female prisoners, hospital, workshop, kitchen with modern facilities and quarters for the jail staff. It has the capacity to house more than 500 prisoners. The new complex also has an interior and outer wall and also an area for the vegetable cultivation.


The Chief Minister Mr. N. Rangaswamy inaugurated the new prison complex on 21st August. During his inaugural address the CM said that the government had sought Rs. 15 crores from the centre in order to utilize it to procure equipment, enhance security and construct additional buildings. The CM also stressed on the necessity to make the union territory a “crime-free” place and appealed the jail staff to work with commitment and dedication. Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) M. Ramadass, Chief Judicial Magistrate Mr. Kaliamurthy, Inspector-General of Police (in-charge of prisons) S. Vasudeva Rao and Chief Engineer Public Works Department Mr.Chandrapal Singh were the other important personalities who were present during the inaugural function.

Note: Though the info is not bit new, I felt this could bring still light over Puducherry Government activity in the Union Territory.

Sania Mirza in Puducherry for a Commercial Shoot

Nowadays many times a day, I'm greatly happy to find our Puducherry in TV commercials or Films. Recently on August 5th Tennis sensation Sania Mirza spotted at Pondicherry for a Commercial Shoot. Below is the quick snap for those who missed to meet her in person.



It's so obvious that Puducherry has become a lucrative place not only for tourist from world wide but also for film industry who are in search of perfect spot for high-end low-budget shoot. Some of the advertisements that I have seen our beautiful city are RamRaj Cottons, Junior Horlicks, Yaaradi Nee Mogin (a film by Dhanush & Nayanthara) and Dishyum Dishyum (a film by Jeeva & Sandhya). Can you list any other TV commercials or Films shot in Puducherry?