Latest news with #Ponlait
New Indian Express
24-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Puducherry to recruit 1000 for government posts over next six months
PUDUCHERRY: Chief Minister N. Rangasamy on Friday announced that the Puducherry government would recruit 1000 individuals for various posts over the next six months, including 300 positions for Lower Division Clerks. With this, the total number of direct government recruitments since the AINRC-BJP alliance assumed office in 2021 will rise to 5,000. Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony for a Rs 34-crore ice cream manufacturing plant of the Pondicherry Cooperative Milk Producers Union Limited (Ponlait) at Kurumampet, Rangasamy criticised the previous Congress-DMK government for its failure to generate jobs. 'They could not provide any government employment. But our government has filled 4,000 vacancies through direct recruitment,' he said. The Chief Minister expressed concern over Ponlait's deteriorating finances, revealing that the cooperative had incurred a loss of Rs 27 crore despite being profitable in the past. He attributed the decline to employee apathy. 'Without Amul's support, Ponlait would be in a dire state. We are struggling to meet Amul's demand. Employees must show greater commitment if Ponlait is to increase production,' he said.
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Puducherry government to fill 1,000 more posts through direct recruitment in six months
The Puducherry government will recruit 1,000 more employed youth in the next six months for various posts in the administration, Chief Minister N. Rangasamy said on Friday (May 23, 2025). Speaking after laying the foundation for a ₹34-crore ice cream plant of Pondicherry Cooperative Milk Producers Union Limited (Ponlait) at Kurumampet, he said more than 4,000 persons were given government jobs through direct recruitment after the AINRC-BJP alliance came to power in 2021. 'You have to compare our tenure with that of the previous government. They could not give any government job. But our government filled 4,000 vacancies through direct recruitment. In the next six months, 1,000 more youth will be recruited for various posts. Of the 1,000 posts to be recruited, 300 will be Lower Division Clerks,' he said. Ponlait incurs ₹27-crore loss Expressing strong disapproval of the functioning of Ponlait, the Chief Minister said from being a profitable society, the entity has has been pushed to the red because of lack of effort on the part of workers. 'If not for the support of Amul, the society would have been in more trouble by now. We are not even able to cater to the demands of Amul. The employees should put more effort so that the society could supply more products as demanded by Amul. The workers cannot blame the officers for the situation. Officers will come and go, but it is the workers who stay in the society,' he said. According to him, some of the workers do not even turn up. 'We don't know where they are. The attitude of workers should change. If the society becomes profitable, it will be good for the workers. The attitude of workers has put several other cooperative units dysfunctional,' he said. Chairman of National Dairy Development Board Meenesh Shah, in his address, said the board was committed to the development of the dairy sector in Puducherry. The NDDB has decided to extend a term loan of ₹16 crore for the establishment of the ice cream plant. 'The upcoming 20 TLPD ice cream plant bears testimony to our shared goal of empowering milk producers through modern processing infrastructure, better market access, and value-added products. The Indian ice cream market is experiencing robust growth, driven by rising disposable incomes, urbanisation, and changing consumer preferences. Therefore, it is important that dairy cooperatives also become part of this growing segment and get benefits,' he said. Extending cooperation to the development of dairy sector in Puducherry, Mr. Shah said Ponlait should concentrate on investing in processing infrastructure expansion, diversification of milk products, and strengthening village-level procurement, chilling, and quality assurance systems. Speaker R. Selvam, Minister for Social Welfare A.K. Sai J. Saravanan Kumar, Chief Secretary Sharat Chauhan, and Secretary to Government Jayantha Kumar Ray were present.
The Hindu
06-05-2025
- The Hindu
New bus terminus opens to praise and practical challenges
M.S. Anitcham The newly-reconstructed Rajiv Gandhi Bus Terminus, which was thrown open to the public on Friday, has evoked mixed passenger responses, with some praising the renovated facility and others flagging a few constraints. The facility, reconstructed by the NBCC (India) Limited — a Central public sector undertaking, at a cost of ₹15.75 crore under the Smart Cities Mission was formally opened to public use on May 2, after being delayed for long due to various factors since the foundation was laid in June 2023. Among its many touted features are 42 bus bays, 31 shops, two restaurants, four transport offices, parking facilities for six omni buses, a cloak room, an ATM, three general waiting halls with a capacity of 30 each, an air-conditioned waiting hall, two dormitories, and a parking lot that can accommodate 450 two-wheelers and 25 cars. The terminus also has an information centre, a CCTV room, ticket booking offices, an administrative building and a sanitation complex. The most glaring drawback that many users highlighted was the inadequate space earmarked for long-distance buses plying via ECR and Tindivanam bypass. Besides, the smart-city project which has increased the size of the terminus building, is yet to provide adequate parking shelters for long-duration buses that operate via ECR and bypass routes. The space constraints at the designated slots for these services are proving to be a hassle not just for passengers but also for transport personnel, who complain of insufficient parking bays for buses. With almost all the services getting operated from the facility — 182 buses travelling on the ECR route and 113 buses travelling on the bypass route towards Chennai — there is a jockeying for the limited space by a line of vehicles, especially during peak hours. 'Passengers face severe hardship as they are forced to stand in the sun while waiting for buses heading to Chennai, Mahe and other states, as there are no bus shelters,' said Shankar, a conductor. The ongoing construction of the shelter for Chennai-bound buses includes only three slots each — limiting the waiting area for travellers bound for Chennai. 'The area used for parking buses previously has been turned into a two-wheeler parking zone, now forcing the buses to be parked outside,'' said another bus crew personnel. 'While the building housing the shops in the bus terminus appears to be large, the number and size of the bus slots have been reduced,' he added. The commercial outlets in the new terminus are yet to be opened, with only Ponlait and Le Café being operational. Passengers and conductors also point out that the paid toilet system is unreasonable as they should not be made to pay for basic facilities in a public space. Many passengers suggested that the bus identification details should be made more visible. 'Change of locations of bus slots for each destination is confusing even for frequent commuters and people familiar with the previous layout,' states Panimalar and Kural, a married couple. Overall, passengers believe that the reconstructed terminus is a significant upgrade from its previous version. Also, while most commuters expressed satisfaction with the availability of clean drinking water and tidy slots for the buses, they expected the authorities to maintain the level of cleanliness visible during the launch of the renovated transport terminal on May 2 in future too.
The Hindu
28-04-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Reconstructed bus terminus likely to be inaugurated on April 30
The reconstructed Rajiv Gandhi bus terminus on Maraimalaiadigal Salai is likely to be inaugurated on April 30. Senior officials from the Local Administration department and Smart City project on Monday inspected the facilities at the bus terminus. 'We have put up the file for dedicating the reconstructed bus stand for public use from April 30. The issue of allotment of shops is still in court. The facility will be inaugurated with an outlet of Ponlait and PTDC,' said an official. Work to reconstruct the bus stand was taken up after shifting operations of government and private buses to AFT Mills ground in 2023. Though the work was completed a few months ago, the municipal authorities were waiting for a formal inauguration of the facility to start bus services from Maraimalaiadigal Salai. The new terminus has 42 bus bays, 31 shops, two restaurants, four transport offices, parking facilities for six omni buses, a cloak room, an ATM, three general waiting halls with a capacity of 30 each, an AC waiting hall, two dormitories, and a parking lot that can accommodate 450 two-wheelers and 25 cars. The facility also has an information centre, a CCTV room, ticket booking offices, administrative building and a sanitation complex, said an official.
