Puducherry

Senior politician and former Chief Minister of Puducherry M D R Ramachandran died on Sunday evening at his residence here due to age-related ailments, Congress party sources said. He was 90. Ramachandran was a two-time chief minister of the union territory when he was with DMK. He first served as chief minister in 1980 and headed the then DMK-Congress coalition ministry which lasted in office for three years. He again became chief minister in 1990 and headed a short-lived DMK-Janata Dal coalition ministry for a year. Ramachandran quit the DMK and joined the Congress in 2000 and became the Speaker of the territorial Assembly in 2001 when the Congress formed the ministry under the leadership of N Rangasamy. He then became the vice-president of the Puducherry Pradesh Congress Committee. He promoted the cooperative movement in the union territory. Puducherry PCC president and Lok Sabha member V Vaithilingam expressed deep sorrow and grief over the demise of Ramachandran. Vaithilinga

Record rain was reported in parts of Puducherry and Tamil Nadu due to Cyclone Fengal. Impact also felt in other regions

Tamil Nadu and Puducherry remain on high alert, battling relentless rainfall and looming flood threats, even as Cyclone Fengal weakens in the region

Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy has said that a detailed report was being prepared assessing the extent of damage caused by the Cyclone Fengal and will be sent to the Centre seeking relief. All schools and colleges remained closed in Puducherry and Karaikal regions on Monday, Puducherry Home Minister A Namassivayam said in a release. After making landfall near Puducherry on November 30, Cyclone Fengal weakened on Sunday, but torrential downpour under its influence paralysed the union territory, with the Army stepping in to evacuate stranded persons in inundated streets. Four people died, officials said without divulging further details. Power supply which remained suspended for the whole region was restored in a phased manner on Monday morning. Some of the sub stations of the electricity department were water logged and immediate steps were taken to pump out the water, officials said. Venkata Nagar, Kamaraj Nagar, Vallalar Salai, Kamarajar Salai and a number of residential .

Cyclone Fengal, which made landfall on the coasts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on Saturday, November 30, has caused widespread flooding in several areas, particularly in Cuddalore

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday stated that the depression, a remnant of Cyclonic Storm Fengal over the north coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, moved west-northwestward at a speed of 7 km/h during the past six hours and was centred at 11"The depression (remnant of Cyclonic Storm Fengal) over the north coastal Tamil Nadu & Puducherry moved west-northwestward at a speed of 7 km/h during the past six hours and was centered at 23:30 IST on December 1, 2024, near latitude 12.2°N and longitude 79.2°E, about 40 km northwest of Villupuram, 70 km west-northwest of Puducherry, about 80 km northwest of Cuddalore, and 140 km southwest of Chennai," the IMD posted on X."It is likely to continue moving west-northwestward and gradually weaken into a well-marked low-pressure area over north interior Tamil Nadu during the next six hours. The remnant low-pressure area is expected to emerge over the southeast and adjoining east-central Arabian Sea off the north ...

According to IMD, Puducherry recorded 48.4cm rainfall in the last 24 hours (till 8.30 am Sunday), which is the highest 24-hours cumulative rainfall in the last 30 years

Cyclonic Storm Fengal crossed the North Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts during the early hours of Sunday morning and is likely to continue moving west-southwestward, weakening into a deep depression within the next few hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.According to the IMD, the cyclone crossed the coast near Puducherry between 10:30 pm and 11:30 pm IST, with wind speeds of 70-80 kmph gusting up to 90 kmph."The Cyclonic Storm FENGAL crossed North Tamil Nadu & Puducherry coasts near latitude 12.05°N and longitude 79.9°E, close to Puducherry, between 2230 hrs IST and 2330 hrs IST yesterday, the 30th November as a cyclonic storm with wind speed of 70-80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph. It lay centred at 2330 hours IST yesterday, the 30th of November over north coastal Tamilnadu & Puducherry near latitude 12.0°N and longitude 79.8°E, close to Puducherry. It will continue to move west-southwestwards slowly and weaken gradually into a deep depression during the next .

Cyclone Fengal update: Landfall expected near Puducherry on Saturday afternoon, red alert issued for Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Karnataka

Cyclone Fengal is gaining strength over the Bay of Bengal. Local administrations are finalising preparations in response to heavy rain warnings for Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh

The deep depression over the Bay of Bengal is "very likely" to cross the coast as a depression on November 30 between Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu and Karaikal in Puducherry, the India Meteorological Department said on Friday. The deep depression over the Southwest Bay of Bengal moved north-northeastwards with a speed of 9 kmph during the past six hours and lay centered at 11.30 pm of November 28 over the same region. It lay about 240 km northeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka), 330 km east-southeast of Nagappattinam, 390 km east-southeast of Puducherry and 430 km southeast of Chennai, the weather office said in its latest update on 'X.' "It is very likely to move northwestwards and maintain its intensity of deep depression till November 29. Continuing to move northwestwards, it is very likely to cross north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram close to Puducherry around morning of November 30 as a depression with a wind speed of 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph,"

The deep depression over the Bay of Bengal is "very likely" to cross the coast as a depression on November 30 between Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, the India Meteorological Department said on Friday. The deep depression over the Southwest Bay of Bengal moved north-northeastwards with a speed of 9 kmph during the past six hours and lay centred at 11.30 pm of November 28 over the same region. It lay about 240 km northeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka), 330 km east-southeast of Nagappattinam, 390 km east-southeast of Puducherry and 430 km southeast of Chennai, the weather office said in its latest update on 'X.' "It is very likely to move northwestwards and maintain its intensity of deep depression till November 29. Continuing to move northwestwards, it is very likely to cross north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram close to Puducherry around morning of November 30 as a depression with a wind speed of 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph," it said. Chennai and its ...

Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy announced here on Sunday that his government has decided to distribute 10 kg rice and 2 kg sugar, free of cost, through fair price shops to card holders before Diwali. Addressing media here, he said the decision to distribute free rice and sugar to all families covered under public distribution system in the Union Territory before Diwali was taken in keeping with the pleas from various quarters. The ration shops which have remained closed for some months now would be reopened to distribute rice and sugar. He said workers employed in fair price shops who remain unpaid for several months would be paid a month's salary when the shops reopen. The territorial government has finalized the tender for supply of rice and sugar. The CM noted that funds have been earmarked to procure the rice and sugar for the free distribution scheme. There are around three lakh families covered under public distribution system in the Union Territory.

In an overnight operation, 29 persons, including 27 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, were rescued from a bus that was stranded on a flooded causeway in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district, officials said on Friday. The bus got stuck on the raised path on a stream near Koliyak village on Thursday evening, said District Collector RK Mehta, who was at the spot to supervise the rescue operation that went on for nearly eight hours. The pilgrims were headed towards Bhavnagar city after visiting Nishkalank Mahadev temple near the village. Due to heavy rains in the region, the causeway on the river was submerged. Despite that, the bus driver decided to cross the river, said Mehta. However, due to the force of the water, the front of the bus dipped into the river while the rear remained stuck on the causeway, he said. During the operation, rescuers reached the site in a mini-truck and transferred all the 27 pilgrims from the bus, its driver and cleaner to the vehicle through the rear windo

The day-long bandh called by the INDIA bloc to protest the hike over power tariff and to condemn the territorial government's move to privatise the power sector hit normal life in Puducherry on Wednesday. All privately owned transport services were off the roads, while government buses operated with police protection. Police were deployed in strength at all vantage points. The local bus terminal and main shopping centres presented a deserted look in the town. Shops and establishments, vegetable sales outlets, hotels and tea stalls were shut in several parts of the town and its suburbs. Director of School Education P Priyadharshini ordered the closure of all schools, including privately managed institutions, in Puducherry on Wednesday. However, classes IX to XII were exempted from the holiday in view of mid-term tests, official sources said. With the local buses and autos being off the roads, the turn-out at the OPD blocks in hospitals was less than usual. Government offices report

A long-pending demand, the plea for statehood to this union territory echoed once again in the state Assembly earlier this week, when the House passed a unanimous resolution expressing its sentiments with the Centre on the matter. The territorial Assembly had in the past adopted resolutions on 15 occasions seeking statehood. The election manifestos of all political parties released during the run up to either Assembly or Lok Sabha polls all along had been insisting they would strive hard for ensuring statehood to Puducherry, a coastal town located about 170 km from Chennai. Puducherry and its outlying regions of Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam located as enclaves either in Tamilnadu, Kerala or Andhra Pradesh had been together as a union territory since their merger with the Indian Union through a referendum in 1954. It has been the contention of the parties coming to power that the lack of full-fledged powers to the elected government at had been a major handicap. They state that even to .

Puducherry Industries Minister A Namassivayam told the territorial Assembly on Friday that a new industrial policy would be unveiled soon for the development of industries in the union territory and to generate job opportunities for the youth. Replying to a question tabled by V P Ramalingam (nominated legislator), the minister said that those coming forward to set up industrial enterprises in the union territory were seeking several concessions which related to GST and Income Tax. The government would have to consider these pleas. "Our intention is to encourage industries to come up in Puducherry so that jobs can be created for the educated youth," he said, and added that all aspects were being considered to ensure industrial development in the union territory. Namassivayam said that the government also proposed establishing an Information Technology park. On the number of industries established since the present government assumed office in 2021, he said that 189 industries have c

Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy presented a tax-free budget involving allocation of Rs 12,700 crore for the fiscal 2024-2025 in the territorial Assembly on Friday. He said the budget size of Puducherry has been fixed at Rs 12,700 crore. Rangasamy, who holds the Finance portfolio, also stated that the Union Territory's own receipts have been estimated at Rs 6,914.66 crore while the Central assistance including State Disaster Relief fund has been estimated at Rs 3,268.98 crore. The Central road fund has been estimated at Rs 20 crore while allocation under Centrally-sponsored schemes has been estimated at Rs 430 crore. During his 80-minute-long address, Rangasamy also said that he was extremely happy to present his fourth budget in the fifteenth legislative Assembly. The Central government had conveyed its approval for the net borrowing ceiling to the extent of Rs 2,066.36 crore "to bridge our fiscal deficit," he said. He said out of the budget estimate of Rs 12,700 crore, a su

A political crisis involving the ruling AINRC-BJP coalition is brewing in the union territory with a section of saffron party MLAs expressing displeasure against the government over issues including corruption, and have knocked on the doors of the national leadership with a plea to set things right before they 'become worse.' Among others, they want a reshuffle of the cabinet. Fissures within the local BJP unit also seem to have come to the fore with calls being made for replacing the incumbent UT head over the party nominee's loss in the just concluded Lok Sabha elections. BJP candidate, Puducherry Home Minister A Namassivayam lost to Congress' Ve Vaithilingam by a margin of over 1.36 lakh votes in the April 19 polls and murmurs are being heard in the saffron camp that the three-year old N Rangasamy-led government's 'deficient performance' also contributed to his defeat. A delegation of seven legislators belonging to the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) and also a couple of nominated