Latest news with #CalveCollegeGovernmentSchool
The Hindu
30-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
L-G underlines the need to conserve heritage structures in Puducherry
Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan has stressed on the need to preserve heritage structures in Puducherry. Speaking at the inaugural of the restored century-old Calve College Government School on Mission Street, the Lt. Governor said it was important to maintain and preserve heritage structures in the region. He expressed happiness over the restoration project which helped in preserving the Franco-Tamil architecture. Recalling the mid-day meal provided in the school during the French time, the Lt Governor said Puducherry has the distinction of introducing the mid-day meal scheme first in the country. He also announced the shifting of his office and residence to the new building at Old Distillery Complex in a few weeks to facilitate the restoration of Raj Nivas. In his address, Chief Minister N. Rangasamy said the government had certain concerns in the beginning on taking up projects to restore heritage structures. The successful restoration of decades-old buildings, such as Calve College, Mairie Building and V.O.C School, has given the government confidence to take up work to protect heritage structures. The work to restore Raj Nivas would be taken up shortly and the government would continue to prioritise conservation of heritage buildings, he said. Praising Subburaya Chettiar's family for donating the land to erstwhile French establishment for starting a school around 150 years ago, Minister for Public Works Department K. Lakshminarayanan said the family's gesture should be appreciated by everyone as the move to donate the land happened at a time when education was not accorded prime importance in this part of the world. 'The territory has progressed tremendously in the education sector. The allocation of 13% of the total Budget estimate shows the government's commitment towards school and higher education. The restoration of Calve College also points to the commitment towards attracting children to government schools. However, some politicians only want to present a negative picture of Puducherry by highlighting the liquor business in the Union Territory,' he said. Education Minister A. Namassivayam said the administration was catering to all the needs of government schoolchildren. 'The government was giving books, bags, food, transportation and laptops free to the students. Several schemes that were pending have been restored in the recent times. With the assistance of the Central government, we will be able to ensure better development of the Union Territory in the days to come,' the Minister said. Speaker R. Selvam, nominated legislator V. P. Ramalingam, Consul General of France in Puducherry and Chennai, Etienne Rolland–Piegue, secretaries P. Priyatarshny and P. T Rudra Goud were among those present at the inaugural.
The Hindu
25-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Completed projects under Smart Cities Mission yet to be inaugurated
Several new projects taken up under the Smart Cities Mission in Puducherry are yet to be commissioned months after inauguration while a few others are dragging beyond their scheduled completion date. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs had approved various projects to the tune of ₹1,056 crore in Puducherry under the Smart City Mission in 2017. Subsequently, due to various administrative and financial reasons, the project size was scaled down to ₹612 crore. A total of 82 projects were sanctioned under the mission, of which 57 have been completed so far. According to official sources, though major projects, including the improvement of the Botanical Garden, reconstruction of the Rajiv Gandhi bus terminus on Maraimalai Adigal Salai, restoration of Calve College Government School and housing projects for economically weaker sections at Chinnayapuram and Kumaragurupallam have been completed, the Government is yet to put them to public use. The restoration of the Calve College school was completed on October 26, 2024 while the reconstruction of the bus stand was completed on December 15, 2024. However, they are yet to be commissioned, and the inordinate delay has invited widespread flak from residents as well as representatives of various political parties. While June 2024 was the initial deadline to commission the pending projects that were taken up under the Mission, the deadline was again revised to March 2025. After three extensions, the Mission ended on March 31, 2025 and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has made it clear that the respective State governments would be responsible for completing them thereafter. 'While Puducherry has received its share of funds under the Mission, there has been no progress in the execution of projects. For instance, about 95% of the work on construction of stormwater drains at Petit Canal Street and Murungapakkam have been completed. But the remaining 5% work has been dragging on for over a year,' sources said. An official of Puducherry Smart City Development Limited (PSCDL) on anonymity said the completed projects were planned for inauguration in January. 'We don't know why the inauguration is getting delayed. The construction of mini stadium at Anna Thidal and development of Urban Forest Trail at Swadeshi Mills has been dragging on despite several extensions of deadlines. The projects are likely to be completed only by May. The Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) formed for execution of smart city projects will also wind up shortly. This has raised concerns over the future operation and maintenance of the projects,' he said.
