Puducherry: Chief Minister N. Rangasamy has asserted that the Ministry needed more powers to measure up to the people's expectations.

Winding up the two-day debate on the motion of thanks to the Lt. Governor's address on Tuesday, Mr. Rangasamy said that he had listened to the members making a strong plea that the elected Government should have full-fledged powers.

He said that all were aware about the position of the Ministry in a Union territorial Administrative set-up. There was a need to devolve more powers to expeditiously evolve schemes and implement them.

Mr. Rangasamy said that his Government was implementing schemes as far as possible within the powers available in the present administrative system. He accepted that there was fast decline in the extent of cultivable lands in the Union Territory. It had now come down to 30,000 hectares.

He said the Government had initiated steps to generate employment and the administration had made a plea to the Centre to set up one of its major industrial units in Puducherry.

The free colour television sets would be distributed soon.

Mr. Rangasamy said that the Government would enlist legislators views before modifying in the free-rice scheme.

Sacrosanct

Earlier, members of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam said that the powers of the Ministry were sacrosanct and no authority could dispute decisions of the Ministry and the Assembly.

S.P. Sivakumar (DMK) said that it was through due process of law that the Ministry was evolving welfare programmes.

The Assembly approved of them. But once the files relating to the schemes were forwarded to the departments concerned, they remained frozen in the concerned departments.

Mr. Sivakumar, who is heading the Assurances Committee, said that of the 192 assurances given in the House in the last meeting, only 32 assurances could be enforced. He said the Government and legislators were cutting a sorry figure before the people when schemes announced in the Assembly continued to be a mere promise on paper. He was shocked to see that even revenue generating ones such as excise levy were facing hurdles, which meant huge revenue loss to the Treasury. He said such developments were causing an insult to the elected Ministry. An impression had gained currency here that more than the elected Ministry, the Lt. Governor and bureaucratic machinery were supreme. He said he did not target any one in particular but was only focussing the situation in which the Ministry was finding itself for years together.

There should be a rectification of such a situation affecting smooth implementation of schemes. A. Anbalagan (AIADMK) said that if it was true that the Lt. Governor was blocking implemention of schemes, the Ministry could as well take up the matter with Union Government for rectification.

K. Lakshminarayanan (PMC) said that it appeared that the Government relied largely on private players to generate jobs. This was highlighted in the Lt. Governor's address. R. Rajaraman (DMK) said that the legislators had full powers to comment on the Lt.Governor's style of functioning.

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