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.

Yet to fill Nurses vacancies in Puducherry

While we knew, unemployment has been a constant struggle for any country. The recent economic crisis very generously boosted the toll rate of unemployment in many developed and developing counties. United States and other European countries are not exceptional.

It is not a rare situation that in India you plead the government to fill the vacancies assured some 3 year, 4 years back. Recent “the Pondicherry Government Nurses’ Association has urged the government to fill vacancies to the post of staff nurses, head nurses, public health nurses and nursing superintendents.

At a general body meeting held on Thursday, the association adopted resolutions urging the government to fill the third installment of 100 posts of staff nurses and three head nurses as per the Staff Inspection Unit norms as agreed to by the government in 2004, a release said. “

Filling these posts would surely improve the treatment and services provided in Puducherry Government Hospitals. Let us hope the government to act as quick as possible

Puducherry tops in CBSE class X results in Chennai region

Puducherry with 99.72 pass per cent topped the list of states and union territories in the CBSE class X results in the Chennai region, which were announced on Tuesday.

More than one lakh students out of the 1.05 lakh students who appeared for the exam passed, surpassing the previous year's record of 95.25 per cent, N Nagaraju, Joint Secretary, Chennai region, told reporters.

The Chennai region, comprising Andaman and Nicobar islands, Andhra Pradesh, Daman and Diu, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Maharashtra, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu, scored an 18-year high record of 95.60 pass per cent.

Kerala, Goa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu also registered pass percentage of more than 98 per cent.

Kerala with 35,000 students had the maximum number of students who took the exams this year.

Source

Teens becoming fashionistas nowadays..

Oh my God!!! Its really a heck of time to walk out with a teen age girl in the Jawaharlal Nehru Street in Pondicherry. I have a very good friend of mine, She is a great Fashionista who use to often buy trendy ornaments and cosmetics in various types. This Sunday we both jumped out in J.N. Street to find out some Fashion Jewelleries for her as she is entering the college next year. I was amazed by the designs and the varieties of these trendy jewels and was dumb-struck. This was more than enough for not only girls in the town, I could even see teen boys too wearing these sorts of fashion jewels. Today I sat down to blog on these trendy fashion picks I saw in various shops.
Its not an easy task to pick a trendy earring or a bracelet in a particular shop because in our small town we could find many petty shops and also Air-conditioned showrooms that showcase this trendy items. My friend dragged me over the streets and she has been collecting various trendy things that suits her dresses. She even told me that most of the girls prefer these trendy items rather than the Gold ornaments. I have been seeing my Mother and Sister from my childhood who has been wearing Gold ornaments but now to my excitement, even a girl kid too joined the fashion team and was looking for the fashionable and pretty ornaments. Thanks to the fashion jewellery, We could find a huge variety of designs these trendy jewels are much affordable and has a wide range where you can pick the one that suits you. The varieties range from wood, glass, metals, sea-shells, embellished with precious stones and also semi-precious stones.
"Trendy ornaments are fast-moving. We keep getting new designs, and sales are good through the year. Both youth and middle-aged men and women buy them," says Vijay Kumar, Manager of Casablanca. Casablanca is a very famous outlet for the fashionistas who wish to wear trendy jewels. In the shelves of the shop we could see innumerable items like earrings, chains, rings, bracelets, pendants and etc. Famous Super markets in Pondicherry too stock these sorts of ornaments and trendy items. In all the fancy stores we could see these type of jewels that could be afforded by the middle as well as the lower class people.
“The range of colours is huge too, and the cost ranges from Rs. 90 to Rs. 1,200. "Most customers prefer fashion jewellery since it is not expensive and looks good too. Young girls prefer fashion jewellery, and so, we keep sourcing new designs to keep up with the changing trends," he says.
A number of shops on Jawaharlal Nehru Street, one of the commercial hubs in Puducherry, sell trendy jewels and fancywear too. In another famous fashion showroom is the Pink Fashion Jewellery which offers a wide range of bangles and anklets sporting pearls, corals and precious and semi-precious stones. Many teen girls prefer these types of hook and drop models as they are easy to wear and also light weighed metals that suit their dresses. This is one of the hot news in this hot summer for our Girls and also for fashion headed boys too.

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

Wedding Bells on my Doorsteps…

“All married couples should learn the art of battle as they should learn the art of making love. Good battle is objective and honest--never vicious or cruel. Good battle is healthy and constructive, and brings to a marriage the principle of equal partnership”.
-Ann Landers
Are you people Wondering!!! Where is my favorite blogger Mr. Mohanraj who use to blog on the interesting facts about Puducherry was not been in touch with us for the past one month… Here I am back afresh with interesting info’s. I have a very special reason for my absence, yea… the Wedding Bells of mine hit the heaven’s doors and I holded hands with my wife on Dec 15th 2008. The day was an ever wondrous day of my lifetime. Lots of guests, the half-naked priest, the holy fire, the fragrance of flowers that are decorated around the marriage platform are very special and new experience for me. I was dressed in traditional silk dhoti and shirt and my wife in the traditional saree. The wedding started with the chanting mantras of the priest and me too joined him blablad the mantras.
My joy had no barriers when I tied the “Mangal Sutra” around my wife’s neck. I thought at the moment that I’m the most blessed human in this world. The whole world looked so beautiful because of my beauteous wedding. We both got married in Thiruvanthipuram at Sri Devanathaswamy Temple early in the morning. In the evening we had a very colorful and sizzling reception. Each and every hearts that came to my marriage blessed us whole heartedly and I was brimming out with joy. No wedding is complete without the photographs and videos. We took many photos with my family, friends and relatives. This occasion is a very wonderful memory in my life.
After my wedding I started to visit all the relatives’ homes and had a very great feast with them. After these sweet and memorable days, I’m back again with the same enthusiastic mind to overwhelm you all with my blogs. You all can now enjoy my blogs day by day. I hope to tend my readers stick on to their seats again with my interesting blogs on Puducherry. Have a great time dear readers.

Plethora of Birds at Ousteri Lake & Bahur Lake

It’s really a feast for our eyes at the Ousteri Lake and the Bahur Lake as they are nurturing a plethora of birds in them. The various varieties of birds are so beautiful and they attract more number of tourists from in and around the union territory.

The Bahur Lake welcomes lots of “cattle egrets” during the peak period of paddy cultivation. The “waders” occupy the area when the water rises and when the water recedes the “filter-feeders” living on zooplanktons crowds the lake. But the Ousteri Lake acts as sanctuary for many varieties of birds through out the year. The frequently seen species are Spotbill ducks, little egrets, large egrets, pond herons, grey herons, reef herons, shovellers, darters, cormorants, pinteal ducks, common coots and kingfishers.



Openbill storks, painted storks, pelicans, flamingos, pheasant-tailed jacanas, spoonbills are among the species that visit these two lakes during the August – December period seeking food, shelter and an ideal place for breeding.

Measures such as creating more islets in the lake, planting babul trees and also two varieties of fast growing bamboos are taken in order to provide the necessary cover and shelter for the birds. The officials of the department have also planned for a boat shaped watchtower with its lower deck housing an interaction center having various informative exhibits, besides highlighting the importance of protecting the eco-system. On the top floor, a telescope would be installed to enable the visitors to watch the birds more closely. Hence, we can soon expect beautiful bird sanctuaries at our home town with all facilities along with the proper security from the poachers.