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Karaikal group seeks Centre's intervention

Special Correspondent

Pondicherry : A 15-member delegation of the Karaikal Struggle Group (KSG) will observe a fast before the Parliament House on December 19 to demand that the Centre direct the Pondicherry administration to hold civic polls.

S.P. Selvashanmugham, KSG convener, who will lead the protest, said in a release on Thursday that they would also meet President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to press their demands.

Mr. Selvashanmugham said it was over 35 years since the last civic polls were held in the Union Territory and nothing had been done to revive the democratic process of local administration.

Mr. Kalam, had during the golden jubilee of De Facto Merger of Pondicherry last November, urged the conduct of municipal elections. But no action had been taken so far. Over the years, whichever party that came to power in Pondicherry paid little attention to the development of Karaikal and it had remained backward compared to the other constituent regions of the Union Territory. There was inadequate allocation of funds under plan programmes and the region was discriminated against in availability of government jobs and welfare measures.

Mr. Selvashanmugham said it was for these reasons the KSG had been insisting that Karaikal be accorded the status of Union Territory.

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