The Government will establish an engineering college in Karaikal in the current academic year itself, said Chief Minister N. Rangasamy here on Wednesday.

Addressing a cluster of functions here, the Chief Minister announced that the engineering college would start functioning from this year in a temporary building and would be shifted to its own premises later.

Mr. Rangasamy said it was wrong to say that Karaikal region was not getting adequate funds for development.

He pointed out that the Government had allocated 23 per cent of the budget allocation for Karaikal district, against 18 per cent requirement of funds sought based on the population of the region.

The Chief Minister, who declared open the "Emerald Beach" on the Karaikal seashore, said that a new port at Vanjur near Karaikal was being established at an estimated cost of Rs.1,300 crore, and it would give impetus to the overall growth of Karaikal. Similarly, the Government had cleared the proposal for carrying out an underground drainage scheme in Karaikal town at a cost of Rs.69 crore.

The Railway Ministry had asked the Puducherry Government to bear the 50 per cent cost for laying a new broad gauge railway line between Nagore and Karaikal at a cost of Rs.66 crore and the Government had requested the Centre to bear this amount.

He announced that if the Centre did not come forward, the Puducherry Government will bear the cost.

He said that the Government was in the process of acquiring land for establishing an airport in Karaikal region.

Similarly, the Government is also taking steps to acquire land for establishing special economic zone.

"Yatri Nivas"

The Chief Minister, who inaugurated "Yatri Nivas" built by the Tourism Department at a cost of Rs. 1 crore on the Karaikal-Tirunallar road, said that a master plan had been drawn up at an estimated cost of Rs.240 crore for the Tirunallar town development and work would begin soon.

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