Chief Minister N. Rangasamy on Monday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the new Legislative Assembly complex.
Talking to reporters here, Mr. Rangasamy described as “fruitful” his visit to New Delhi where he had discussions with the Prime Minister on various developmental programmes in the Union Territory.
Mr. Modi, who had shown keen interest in ensuring development of the Union Territory, had also accepted his invitation and would visit Puducherry to lay the foundation stone for the new complex, Mr. Rangasamy said. The estimate for the proposed complex and other details were being worked out.
Expressing the hope that the BJP government at the Centre would accord Statehood to the UT, Mr. Rangasamy said he had made a representation to the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in this regard.
An all-party meeting would be convened shortly to create a consensus and take forward the Statehood demand. “I have also sought permission from the Union government to sell land belonging to the AFT Mills in Pattanur village. The amount from the sale would be used to pay the dues to the workers who had opted for voluntary retirement scheme. I have also requested the Prime Minister to include Puducherry in the ongoing smart cities project.”
Referring to his meeting with Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, the Chief Minister said that he had sought funds for various ongoing projects under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.
Heritage buildings
He said that all heritage buildings in the city required proper attention and maintenance and sought special funds from the Centre. A high-level committee would visit Puducherry to study the heritage buildings and decide on the assistance.
The pension paid by the government to freedom fighters would be enhanced from Rs.5,000 to Rs.7,000 per month. This would come to effect from January, he added.
