: Lt Governor Kiran Bedi today visited two churches at neighbouring Villianoor and Ariyankuppam to offer prayers for 'a prosperous Puducherry' before leaving for Eripakkam and Kariamanickam hamlets to get first hand information of the woes of rural folk.
She first visited the church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Villianoor and later another one at Ariyankuppam.
In a Tweet, Bedi said she 'prayed for a prosperous Puducherry and also for an India which can cater for all and an India which would be blessed with positive energy as a nation'.
Ruling Congress legislator from Nettapakkam (reserved) segment Vijayaveny and officials of PWD and other departments accompanied her.
A release from Bedi's office said she listened to representations of villagers at Eripakkam that a feeder canal bringing water to the major water body in the village faced obstructions because of encroachments and their plea to desilt the water body
Finding that the encroachment was through farming activities on the feeder canal, Bedi ordered officials to take up desilting work by removing the encroachements after the harvest of the crops there
She ordered that a committee be constituted, headed by legislator of Nettapakkam (reserved) segment as the village and lake are within territorial limits of Nettapakkam segment.
At Kariamanikkam village, Bedi saw that a pond close to a water pumping station was being used to dump garbage by the municipal authorities.
Taking stock of the health hazard the garbage posed to the subsoil water table, she ordered Commissioner of Nettapakkam commune panchayat to identify another site, in consultation with the Directorate of Science and Technology so as to get clearance for proper environment maintenance', the release said.
The desilting should also be through 'shramdaan movement' making use of local youth and the pond should be revived for availability of hygienic water, she said.
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