Administration has no intention to neglect Karaikal: CM

Puducherry, Dec 15: Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy today categorically stated the administration never had the intention to neglect the Karaikal region in the Union Territory.

Making a suo motu statement in the Assembly here, the Chief Minister said no regions in the Union Territory will be ignored and his government would ensure uniform development of all the regions.

On Karaikal legislators boycott of the Assembly session, he said he had talks with them yesterday and explained the measures taken by the administration to ensure development of the Karaikal.

He said the fund allocation to Karaikal, which was Rs 53 crore in 2002-03, was increased to Rs 270.88 crore in 2006-07 and several developmental schemes were on.

He said the administration would set up an engineering college in the region in the next academic year and the construction of a Rs 50 crore hospital would begin soon.

Orders had been passed to the officials concerned in the region to ensure full utilisation of the allotted funds for the developmental schemes.

He said a committee had been constituted to look into aspect of granting more powers to the Karaikal District Collector.

The recommendation of the committee would be implemented once it submits its report.

The Chief Minister said a review meeting on development of Karaikal would be organised once in every three months with the legislators from the region. Regarding employment, he said the Group ''D'' posts in the region are being filled by selecting native candidates. But the Group ''C'' posts are being filled on the basis of a written examination and at times candidates from the Karaikal fail to get adequate representations.

The legislators from the region had sought a seperate reservation for the region in Group ''C'' posts, which would be decided after consultation with the law department, he added.

Listing out several schemes for the development of Karaikal, including setting up new industries, the Chief Minster sought support from all the legislators to ensure the development of the Union Territory.

Responding to the Chief Minister's statement, Legislator V M C Sivakumar (DMK) assured full support of his party to the government.

Mr Sivakumar said they had no intention to bring the government to a fix.

He said the Chief Minister had promised to sent a team of officials to Karaikal tomorrow to discuss and identify development projects that should be completed on priority basis.

UNI