Pondicherry: Chief Minister N. Rangasamy said during question hour in the Assembly on Thursday that the Government had adopted a uniform yardstick in extending relief and assistance to the fishermen ravaged by the tsunami in Pondicherry and Karaikal without any discrimination.

Replying to a question tabled by Leader of the Opposition A.M.H. Nazeem (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), the Chief Minister said that while assistance of Rs. 46 crore had been disbursed in Pondicherry region, Rs. 33.5 crore had been distributed in Karaikal.

He also referred to the classifications under which help was rendered to the fishermen and farmers in the two regions.

Mr. Nazeem, however, pointed out that assistance was not available to certain sections of boat owners in Karaikal though the region was the worst hit in the tsunami.

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam member A. Anbalagan complained that fisherwomen selling fish in retail outlets were not given the promised assistance of Rs. 3,000 (one time payment) per head. The Chief Minister told the member that the Government had no intention of ignoring any section of the people.

The guidelines and recommendations furnished by the local panchayats in coastal villages had been adopted in letter and spirit in identifying the persons and in providing help.

Mr. Rangasamy said that if fisherwomen had not already received the amount already, they could approach the Government for assistance even now.

Noisy scenes

There were noisy scenes in the Assembly for a few minutes with Mr. Anbalagan and a section of the members of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam locking horns over the quantum of assistance given to fishermen and others.

R. Viswanathan (Communist Party of India) pointed out that the Chief Minister had already given full details of assistance provided to the tsunami-hit people. Hence there was no need for continuation of the debate.

With Speaker R. Radhakrishnan ruling that there could be no further debate on the issue, the House resumed regular proceedings.

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