Students on war path with V-C
A tumultuous year for Pondicherry University which saw faculty and students face off frequently with Vice Chancellor Chandra Krishnamurthy, who they alleged of academic misdemeanour and authoritarian ways.
In July, an indefinite strike demanding basic facilities on the campus snowballed into a struggle to oust the Vice Chancellor. The stir culminated in the MHRD decision to place Ms. Krishnamurthy on compulsory wait, directing her to proceed on long leave, and appointing Prof. Anisa Basheer Khan as VC-in-charge.
CM’s political masterstroke
The fielding of AIADMK nominee N. Gokulakrishnan in the Rajya Sabha elections in Puducherry in September in alliance with the ruling AINRC was an important political development in Puducherry. The selection of Mr. Gokulakrishnan, a close associate of Chief Minister N. Rangasamy was a surprise choice.
With Rangasamy delaying the announcement of the party nominee amidst a revolt by his own party legislators Mr. Gokulakrishnan enrolled himself as a member of the AIADMK. However, the Chief Minister stuck to his guns and sealed a pact with the AIADMK much to the shock and bewilderment of the MLAs who had formed a pressure group within the party.
Mr. Gokulakrishnan was elected unopposed since none of the political parties came forward to contest. This important political development led to the revival of ties between the ruling AINRC and the AIADMK.
Oulgaret’s thrust to be
Smart City
Puducherry’s Smart City aspirations took flight with ‘Oulgaret Municipality’ being selected from among the 100 cities across the country for the ambitious mission.
In a citizens’ poll, a vast majority endorsed the Greenfield model of Smart City development. In December, the government submitted its proposal to the Ministry of Urban Development for the ‘City Challenge’ round which will select the top 20 cities that would receive the first instalment of funding.
A short flight
Puducherry’s aviation dreams lasted for only six months. After re-launching airport services with much fanfare in April, Alliance Air, the lone flight operator at the Puducherry airport suspended its services from October 15 following a standoff over subsidy. The Puducherry Government had rolled out a scheme of Viability Gap Funding to attract airline operators. Talks are on with other airline operators to resume flights and the government is also rethinking its strategy for flight frequency to improve operational viability.
Child sexual abuse alarming
Cases of child sexual abuse continued to hit headlines this year with alarming frequency. In the latest high profile case, K.S.P. Ramesh, who has served as the Chairman of the Puducherry Planning Authority and a functionary of the ruling AINRC, was booked under Section 10 of the POCSO Act following a complaint from a student of the school he runs.
In further instance of possible abuse of power, a case of sexual harassment was also booked against a lecturer of the Government Women’s Polytechnic College under Section 11 of the POCSO Act and Sections 509 and 354 of the Indian Penal Code. One of the victims was a minor girl. According to information available with the Puducherry Government, 22 cases of sexual penetration took place between April 2015 and December 2015 alone.
Police get tech-savvy
Police Department achieved a milestone with the launch of the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS).
The state-of-the-art system which went live in the city on November 30 is a brainchild of the Centre and aims to bring all the State and UT police under a single umbrella resulting in the creation of a national data bank of crime, criminals and their biometric profiles.
A Citizen’s Portal which provides the public easy interface with the police is an integral feature.
In solidarity with Paris
Paris terror strikes in November cast a pall of gloom in this former French protectorate which carries the epithet ‘Little France.’
The day after the attack, the European Union flag and the Indian tri-colour was lowered to half-mast at the French Consulate as a mark of respect to the victims.
The Consulate led a commemoration event at the French War Memorial which was remarkable for the resilient and united spirit on show. This was followed by a special service at the Eglise de Notre Dame des Anges (Church of Our Lady of Angels).
The IFP also scaled down its diamond jubilee festivities which came within days of the tragedy in Paris.
Rain damage
For the first time in 100 year history, Puducherry recorded 132 cm of rainfall in two days in the first week of December. Puducherry witnessed unprecedented rainfall in November and December with the onset of the North east monsoon causing extensive damages to crops, property and infrastructure.
The Puducherry Government forwarded two reports to the Centre seeking an interim release of Rs.100 crore. The Centre sanctioned Rs.50 crore as first instalment of interim aid for carrying out flood relief measures.
The government’s sector-wise assessment of damages classified public works department (Rs. 120.89 crore), municipal administration (Rs. 48.66 crore), agriculture (Rs. 7.2 crore), power (Rs. 3.14 crore), revenue (Rs. 2.48 crore) and animal husbandry (Rs.7.19 lakh).
A shining diamond of knowledge
The French Institute of Pondicherry (IFP), an important repository of ancient knowledge and hub of multi-disciplinary research that attracts scholars from across the world, celebrated its diamond jubilee in November.
The IFP enjoys a unique place in the network of 27 research centres under the joint supervision of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development (MAEDI) and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), as it is the only institution whose charter was written into the Treaty of Cession of French Territories in India.
Each of its four divisions —Ecology, Indology, Social Sciences and Geomatics —has made signal contributions.
The real tour de force though is the painstakingly accumulated collection of 8,187 palm-leaf manuscripts (the largest collection of texts on Saivasiddhanta in the world and registered as such in the “Memory of the World” register of the UNESCO.
Its photo archives with a collection of 1,60,000 photographs, of temples and edifices in South India notably, has even helped sleuths from the US Homeland Security in investigations into antique smuggling.
Planetarium, new attraction
Science enthusiasts and children cheered as the Sub-Regional Science Centre and Planetarium was inaugurated in May. A project of the Puducherry Council for Science and Technology (Department of Science, Technology and Environment), the Science Centre and Planetarium in Lawspet, Puducherry, was set up by the National Council of Science Museums, Kolkata. The project was executed under the guidance of the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum (VITM), Bengaluru.
Completed at a cost of Rs. 5.5 crore, it has the ‘Fun Science’ section and the Marine Gallery, with over 100 interactive exhibits, apart from the 8 metre dome digital planetarium. The centre also has a science park with outdoor exhibits and a children’s activity area and science demonstration hall.
Botanical Garden sparkles
The century-old Government Botanical Garden which featured in Ang Lee’s Life of Pi reopened in September this year after the first phase of Rs.8 crore renovation and beautification initiative.
Potpourri of art, culture
and fashion
On the cultural front, the first few months of the year saw a flurry of activity.
Alliance Francaise held its 26-day long Indo-French festival, ‘Pondy Partages – 2015’ in January and February. It included concerts, films, talks, a dance recital, a play, a puppet show and a seminar. It also included the photography exhibition, ‘War and Colonies.’ French journalist Florence Noiville and former French minister Martin Hirsch inaugurated the event.
Not to lag behind, Auroville, home to many a pottery studio, witnessed the first edition of the Auroville International Potters’ Market in January and February. There were 38 potters from Auroville-Puducherry region, Villupuram, Goa, Kolkata, Pune, Chennai, Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai participating.
Fashion returned to Puducherry with the second edition of the Kingfisher ULTRA Pondicherry Fashion Week in July. Models walking the ramp barefoot, a last-minute showstopper, a bespectacled model, and live music on the runway were some of the highlights. Four designers showcased their collections this time around as well, with three of them coming to Puducherry for the second time.
Heritage in the limelight
Citizens group People for Pondicherry’s Heritage, INTACH and NGO PondyCAN organised the first edition of the Pondicherry Heritage Festival in a bid to renew interest in heritage following the collapse of the iconic Mairie building in 2014. The line-up of programmes had Bharathiar’s and Bharathidasan’s poetry, a dance drama on Aayi, a performance by Adishakti, and several talks including one on Ananda Ranga Pillai during the festival in February and March.
Iconic way to end the year
Paris-based radical theatre group Théâtre du Soleil brought its renowned mobile school ‘école nomade’ to Puducherry in December. Headed by theatre group founder Ariane Mnouchkine, the école nomade saw the participation of 96 actors selected from across India, joined by 14 actors of Théâtre du Soleil. Ms. Mnouchkine’s visit was being organised by the Alliance Francaise of Puducherry, Institut Francais (French Institute), Indianostrum theatre, and supported by the Department of Tourism, Puducherry Government.
Complied by Puducherry Bureau
