The Hindu                05.06.2013

Local body elections unlikely for the next six months

C. Jaisankar

Only now, the government has constituted a delimitation panel

With the process of delimitation yet to gain momentum, the conduct of elections to the local bodies in the Union Territory of Puducherry is unlikely for the next six months.

The elections, which were originally scheduled to be held on 4, 8 and 10 December, 2012 by the State Election Commission (SEC), were deferred as per the direction of Madras High Court that had asked the territorial administration to carry out the delimitation and reservation of municipal, commune and panchayat wards based on 2011 census data.

The Supreme Court of India, which heard the Special Leave Petition (SLP) by the Puducherry unit of CPI (M), had also directed the Puducherry government to complete the delimitation process within two months after getting the census data in order to conduct the civic elections.

Almost six months have passed since the deferment of local body polls in Puducherry, which witnessed last civil elections in 2006. But, the government has just now constituted a delimitation panel headed by G. Panneerselvam, former Director of Higher Education.

Official sources told The Hindu that considering the huge exercise involving delimitation and reservation process it might not be possible for the administration to complete all the mandatory and statutory formalities in the next six months to conduct the local body polls.

The panel would have to obtain complete details of the 2011 Census from the department, which is yet come out with many aspects of the Census. It had to carry out the detailed survey of the population of five municipalities such as Oulgaret, Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam. Similarly, the panel had to delimit the areas of 122 municipal councillors, 98 commune panchayat council members, 98 village panchayats, 815 village panchayat ward members in 10 commune panchayats.

Sources added that there were instances in which delimitation of local bodies took minimum of six months to one year. Notification of delimitation process, calling for objections from the residents, voters, political parties and others were mandatory for the completion of delimitation process. It might consume considerable time, officials said. Moreover, the delimitation exercise should get the support of political parties as some of them are of the view that the area of Member of Legislative Assembly constituencies itself was very small. If civic elections were held, it would take away the power of MLAs to a great extent.

However, most of the major political parties, particularly the Communist Party of India (M), are openly pitching for civic body elections. The term of the elected civic representatives ended in July 2010. Since then the civic bodies have been directly administered by the officials of local administration.

Business Line              04.06.2013

Budget canteen comes to Coimbatore

One major problem of the common man seems to have been addressed with the opening of the Amma Unavagams (budget canteens) in Coimbatore on Sunday.

People were seen waiting restlessly for the supplies to commence at least an hour before the formal inauguration of the canteen at the New Bus Stand on Mettupalayam Road here.

The women’s group involved in the preparation of food and maintenance of the canteen in the said location were equally excited about the catering project.

They had prepared the food – sambar and curd rice, ahead of schedule and waiting for the officials from the District Administration and Coimbatore Corporation to visit the canteen.

A sense of excitement was in the air, with onlookers peeping in to see the facilities. “To begin with, idli and sambar will be sold in the mornings and sambar and curd rice for lunch,” a member of the group told Business Line.

The Corporation had chosen 15 women SHGs to undergo two-day training in Chennai. “We visited the unavagams in Chennai, learnt how the food was prepared at the different places and served. It was a learning experience,’ said Parvathi, canteen supervisor.

Budget canteens were opened at different places in the city. According to a Government Order, the Corporation would sell an idli for Re 1, sambar rice for Rs 5 and curd rice for Rs. 3.

Asked if such budget restaurants would affect their business, some ladies, who were running a mess said that this was no threat to their business.