Alleged special concession debated

Puducherry, Apr 18 (UNI) AIADMK member A Anbazghagan today locked horns with tourism minister Malladi Krishna Rao on the issue of alleged special consideration to the Yanam region.

Answering a question from Mr Anbazhagan, Chief Minister N Rangasamy said the administration had given central sale tax exemption to the industrial units in the Yanam region in the wake of the implementation of VAT in Andhra pradesh. The CST amount would come only to about Rs.2 crore.

Mr Anbazhagan asked whther the administration would extend this concession to the industrial units in Puducherry and Karaikal regions as VAT was to be implementd here from June 1. The Chief Minister said the administration would consider it.

Mr Anbazhagan, who wanted a categorical reply from the Chief Minister, had heated exchanges with the latter who said the administration would hear the views of industrialists in Puducherry and Karaikal regions and consider the provision of concessions if VAT would affect them adversly.

Alleging that the government was adopting double standards on the issue for Yanam, Puducherry and Karaikal, Mr Anbazhagan pointed out that special consideration was again given to Yanam in issuing applications for assistance to construct toilets and added while only 100 to 150 applications were issued in all other constituencies, 1500 applications were issued in Yanam, the constituency of the tourism minister.

Mr Rangasamy said people in all the four regions belonged to Puducherry and there would not be any discrimination. Adequate applications would be issued.

With several other members joining the issue, the House witnessed noisy scenes. Amid uprorious scenes Mr Malladi Krishna Rao rose to ask Mr Anbazhagan not to politicise all the issues.

He said following the implementation of VAT in Andhra Pradesh from April 1, 2004 nearly eight industrial units closed down in Yanam. To avert this, the Chief Minister had given the exemption.

He also denied that Yanam was given any free gas connections, subsidy to purchase milch animals and assistance to fishermen while all the other constituencies had it.

Speaker R Radhakrishnan pacified the members and expunged some remarks made by Mr Anbazhagan against the minister.

UNI