Though officially termed as a courtesy call, a delegation led by French Ambassador to India Francois Richier held wide-ranging discussions with Chief Minister N. Rangasamy and Tourism Minister P. Rajavelu on Saturday.
Mr. Richier held discussions with the Chief Minister on tapping the potential in different sectors in Puducherry.
“We discussed heritage preservation besides city development and planning. France had already deputed an architect to look into the collapse of the Mairie building. The architect will be making a revisit in April. The Puducherry government is very keen to preserve the heritage buildings. It could also get involved with French experts in heritage preservation and landscaping,” he said.
Earlier, Mr. Francois Richier called on Tourism Minister P. Rajavelu. The delegation discussed with officials of the Puducherry government providing financial assistance for development of heritage buildings in the city. Mr. Rajavelu submitted a memorandum to Mr. Richier seeking initiatives for joint marketing and promotion of tourism in France and India. They also discussed French investments for starting new units in Puducherry, to evolve a mechanism to bring new talent from France and to reaffirm France's commitment to carry forward the relationship with Puducherry. French Consul General Philippe Janvier Kamiyama was also present.
