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Maharashtra to help in deep sea fishing

SETTING AN EXAMPLE : Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh addressing a function after handing over permanent houses to tsunami affected families at Karaikalmedu in Karaikal district on Saturday.

PUDUCHERRY: Chief Minister of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh said on Saturday that his government would complete the process of constructing permanent houses in 12 coastal villages in Puducherry and Karaikal by the end of March.

Dedicating 300 houses constructed by Maharashtra to the fishermen of Veerampattinam at a function held in the village, Mr. Deshmukh said that his government had promised to construct around 1,700 houses for the fishermen in the Union Territory .

Responding to a plea made by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy at the function for assistance in deep sea fishing, Mr. Deshmukh said his government would provide the technical expertise in this regard before the next monsoon.

Maharashtra took a decision to provide assistance to all State governments during natural calamities after the State experiencing the “generosity of the entire country” at the time of the devastating earthquake in Latur, he said. “We feel it as a bounden duty to extend all support to State governments during natural calamities,” he said.

Mr. Rangasamy said that under a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) project, the government would construct structures in Puducherry and Karaikal to protect the people from natural disasters. The UNDP had promised an assistance of Rs. 1 crore to the project, he said.

Maharashtra Minister for Co-operation, Relief and Rehabilitation Patangrao Kadam, Rajya Sabha Member V. Narayanasamy, local MLA R.K.R. Anandaraman and senior government officials from Puducherry and Maharashtra spoke.

Maharashtra is spending nearly Rs.60 crore for tsunami rehabilitation works, including construction of permanent houses in the Union Territory, Mr. Deshmukh said at a function at Karaikalmedu coastal village near here on Saturday.

He handed over 200 permanent houses built by Maharashtra to the tsunami affected families. The houses were built at the total cost of Rs.9.6 crore.

Out of the 200 houses, 120 were provided to the tsunami affected families of Karaikalmedu and 80 to those at Kilinjalmedu.

Mr. Rangasamy, who presided over the function, said that all the rehabilitation works, including construction of permanent houses, would be completed by the end of March.

Rakesh Behari, Chief Secretary, N. Vasanthakumar, Karaikal Collector, V. Narayanasamy, MP, and V. Omalingam, MLA, spoke.

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