Pondy MLAs meet on NEET cancelled

A joint meeting of legislators of all parties slated to be held here today to discuss the implementation of NEET-based selection to medical courses was cancelled at the eleventh hour.
The meeting was convened by Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and intimation was sent to all legislators a few days ago.
Each of the legislators was informed of the 'cancellation' of the meeting as Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao 'is out of station.'
Secretary to the Chief Minister informed the legislators via SMS of the 'cancellation of the meeting scheduled for today at the conference hall in the Assembly premises here,' according to AIADMK (Amma) Legislature party leader A Anbalagan.

Anbalagan told reporters that party MLA K A U Asana from Karaikal, who was also present, had come to take part in the meeting but the sudden announcement of cancellation had embarrassed the legislators.
Anbalagan wanted to know the real reason for not holding the meeting.

"If Malladi Krishna Rao could not be in station the Chief Minister could speak on his behalf. Normally the Chief Minister was presenting replies in the Assembly during question hour and on other occasions with regard to subjects held by Malladi Krishna Rao," he said.
Alleging that the Congress government "is not interested in procuring relief to the students ravaged by the introduction of the NEET-based system of selection to medical courses," Anbalagan said Lt Governor Kiran Bedi should also come forward and convene a special session of the Assembly to evolve a draft bill for earmarking 50 per cent quota of seats for Puducherry government sponsored students in private medical colleges.

She should also find a way out in the current NEET imbroglio, he added.
Further, Anbalagan said without taking any practical steps to benefit the students the Lt Governor was pleasing herself by finding fault with the government and making her comments through her Twitter handle or through WhatsApp.
He said the plan of the government to develop Puducherry port into a satellite port of the Chennai Port Trust would come a cropper as necessary dredging of the estuary was not completed as the accumulation of the sand and also the silt and solid waste at the estuary would involve a mammoth exercise.

The 10-member Estimates Committee of which he is the Chairman would visit the port site in the next ten days to find as to what ailed the implementation of the project, the AIADMK (Amma) Legislature party leader said.