CPI urges Centre to appoint full-time Lt Governor for Pondy

Puducherry, May 12 (UNI) Alleging that the Puducherry Administration has paralysed due to the absence of a full-time Lt Governor, CPI State Secretary Na Ra Kalainathan today urged the Centre to take steps to appoint a full-time Lt Governor for the Union Territory.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr Kalainathan blamed the Education Department for the decline in the Plus Two pass percentage by four per cent this year.

He said promotion of all the Plus One students to Plus Two was the main cause for it. When the administration had taken steps to promote all the Plus One students, the CPI had organised agitations stating that this would affect the pass percentage, he recalled.

He said the present Director of Education was having additional charges as the MD of SPINCO and Tsunami Rehabilitation Project, hence a separate director be appointed exclusively for education.

Mr Kalainathan said Education Minister M O H F Shajahan had convened a meeting of the officials on May 24 and 25 of this month to look into the ''debacle'' and said steps should be taken to ensure good examination results in the coming years.

He said according to the call given by the Central Committee, the Puducherry unit would also organise agitations against price rise, hoarding of commodities and online trade. The dates would be finalised in the State Committee Meeting shortly.

Mr Kalainathan alleged that the police had failed to arrest the government employees, who allegedly abused a woman officer of the Education Department even after registering cases under non-bailable sections. Police should arrest the culprits forthwith, failing which the Demoractic Women's Association of India would organise agitations.

On the statehood issue, Mr Kalainathan alleged that both the MPs from Puducherry were functioning against the interests of the Union Territory.

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