Puducherry CM Rangasamy reiterates plea for statehood

Puducherry: Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy on Monday reiterated the plea for statehood and hoped that the Centre would concede it.

Wrapping up the two-day debate on a motion of thanks to the Lieutenant Governor's address to the territorial Assembly, the chief minister said that, in the present, Constitutional status of Puducherry being a union territory, "an elected government has limited powers.

"We face several hurdles in implementing the decisions taken for the promotion of the wellbeing of the people and for the development of Puducherry." Rangasamy said that "it is the unanimous stand of all the legislators that Puducherry should become a state so that decisions of the government could be implemented fast and the wellbeing of people would also be promoted without delay." He also suggested that the Member of Parliament elected from Puducherry could also make out a case for grant of statehood in the Parliament.

Members belonging to the opposition DMK suggested to the chief minister taking a delegation of legislators to Delhi to meet the higher ups there to push the demand for statehood.

On the development path, the chief minister said that the Lt Governor's address contained several progressive policies and programmes to ensure potable drinking water, infrastructure development and also creation of infrastructure.

Rangasamy said that a comprehensive plan was prepared by the administration to utilise the vast stretch of 750 acres in Karasur and Sedarapet block for promoting industrial development. He also said that all the defunct undertakings of the Puducherry government would be revived to ensure jobs for the unemployed youth.

The Cooperative Sugar mill in Puducherry would also be revived through participation by private players, he said.

The outgoing Lt Governor C P Radhakrishnan delivered the customary address on the opening day of the current budget session of the House on July 31.

The Centre has named former IAS Officer of Gujarat cadre, K Kailashnathan, as the next Lt Governor of Puducherry. He would assume charge on August 7, official sources said.

Earlier participating in the debate, members belonging to the DMK and Congress said that the address presented by the Lt Governor "has let down the people as the address did not reflect people's expectations for growth in Puducherry and also for the revival of the textile mills." The DMK and Congress legislators staged a walk out during the debate to mark their protest against Speaker R Selvam's stand to deny opportunities to them to air their views on the policies of the NDA government at the Centre towards Puducherry. The members, however, returned to the House later.