Puducherry

Puducherry police on Tuesday denied permission for actor-politician Vijay's roadshow slated for December 5 in the union territory. Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party had sought permission to conduct a roadshow from Kalapet to Kannaiakoil and also for Vijay to address a public meeting near Sonnampalayam water tank. However, after the police declined to permit the roadshow, TVK general secretaries B Anand and Aadhav Arjuna met senior police officials here on December 1 and requested for the permission. "We have recommended that an open-ground public meeting be held instead of a roadshow. We did not recommend the roadshow," Puducherry DIG Sathya Sundaram told reporters. Vijay's political rallies came to an abrupt halt in Tamil Nadu following the tragic stampede in Karur that claimed 41 lives and left over 60 injured.

Rains triggered by Cyclone Ditwah continued in several parts of Tamil Nadu as it is expected to move parallel to the coastline of northern parts of the state and neighbouring Puducherry in the next 24 hours, the weather office said on Sunday. With heavy rainfall pounding Cauvery delta districts in the state, Ramanathapuram and Nagapattinam districts bore the brunt. Normal life continued to be affected in the coastal towns of Rameswaram and Nagapattinam as heavy rainfall inundated several low lying areas. As per the latest bulletin by the Regional Meteorological Department issued on Sunday, the cyclone moved nearly northwards with a speed of 5 kmph and it is located about 80 km east of Karaikal, 100 km northeast of Vedaraniyam, 160 km southeast of Puducherry and 250 km south of Chennai. "It is very likely to move nearly northwards parallel to North Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts during the next 24 hours. While moving northwards the cyclonic storm will be centered over southwest Bay of

The storm is also expected to cause "significant damage" to standing crops, including horticulture, floriculture and vegetables, particularly those in the ripening stage

Cyclone Ditwah is expected to reach the southwest Bay of Bengal near north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and the nearby south Andhra Pradesh coasts by early morning on November 30

The IMD says the system will keep moving north-northwest across the Bay of Bengal and Sri Lanka and is likely to strengthen into a cyclonic storm within the next 12 hours

Puducherry has been hit by incessant rains since Tuesday noon, disrupting normal life, with nearly three cm recorded between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm, an official said. Home and Education Minister A Namassivayam said, "Due to heavy rains pounding the union territory, all schools and colleges in Puducherry and Karaikal regions will remain closed on Wednesday." Several roads were waterlogged, disrupting traffic across the region. Minister K Lakshminarayanan convened an emergency meeting with officials from the revenue, PWD, and local administration departments to review the situation. He instructed authorities to prepare all machinery to respond to any exigency.

The Regional Meteorological Centre here has predicted widespread light to moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry due to the influence of an upper air cyclonic circulation. Over the next 24 to 48 hours, Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Theni and Tenkasi districts are expected to receive heavy showers. Palar Anicut in Ranipet district, Ayinkudi in Pudukottai, Tenkasi, Ammundi in Vellore district received the highest amount of rainfall recording 8 cm each in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said on Tuesday. Rameswaram, Vadapudupattu district in Tirupathur, Sivagiri (Tenkasi), Sivaganga district, Tondiarpet (Chennai) Bodinaickanur (Theni) MGR Nagar in Chennai received 1 cm of rainfall each in the last 24 hours. In Chennai and its neighbourhood, the bulletin said the sky condition is likely to be partly cloudy. "Light or moderate rain with Thunderstorm and Lightning is likely to occur in some areas," the bulletin added.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari is scheduled to visit Puducherry on Monday for the inauguration and foundation stone laying ceremony of several infrastructure projects, starting with a Rs 436 crore, four-km elevated corridor linking the Indira Gandhi Square and the Rajiv Gandhi Square here. During the visit, Gadkari, the Minister of Road Transport and Highways, will also dedicate to the nation three national highway projects worth over Rs 2,000 crore, besides improvement works on a 14-km stretch of the East Coast Road involving an investment of Rs 25 crore, officials said. Besides, the minister will inaugurate the 38-km four-lane Puducherry-Poondiankuppam section of National Highway 32, developed at a cost of Rs 1,588 crore, they said. Puducherry Lt Governor K Kailashnathan, Chief Minister N Rangasamy, Union Minister L Murugan, Tamil Nadu PWD Minister E V Velu, Puducherry ministers and Speaker R Selvam would participate in the event.

Political leaders feel alliances in Tamil Nadu are binding in Puducherry as well, and that is both a blessing and a bane

The BJP on Saturday appointed Union ministers Mansukh Mandaviya as party's election in-charge and Arjun Ram Meghwal as co-incharge for Puducherry Assembly polls due next year. The term of the Puducherry Legislative Assembly expires on June 15 next year. The All India N.R. Congress alliance, of which BJP is part, currently governs the Union Territory. "BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda has appointed Mansukh Mandaviya, Union minister, as election in-charge, and Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union minister, as co-incharge for the forthcoming assembly elections in Puducherry," party's national general secretary Arun Singh said notifying the appointments. These appointments take effect immediately, he added.

Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy on Tuesday that the government would issue circulars to all shops and establishments, directing them to display their names in Tamil. Responding to a plea by Independent member G Nehru alias Kuppusamy, who raised the issue during Zero Hour in Assembly, Rangasamy said, "Strict instructions will be issued through the circular, ensuring that shop owners display Tamil versions of their establishment names on signboards." Nehru emphasised that there should be no leniency in the matter and urged the government to issue circulars with strict directions to honour the Tamil language. The CM stated that the government had also decided that all invitations for government department functions should include a Tamil version. "This is out of love and respect for the Tamil language," he added. Earlier, during Question Hour, PWD and Fisheries Minister K Lakshminarayanan informed the House that the government would place boulders along the entire 24-km stretch

Addressing a press conference, he highlighted the BJP's recent electoral success in Delhi and India's economic progress over the past decade

Senior politician and former Chief Minister of Puducherry M D R Ramachandran died on Sunday evening at his residence here due to age-related ailments, Congress party sources said. He was 90. Ramachandran was a two-time chief minister of the union territory when he was with DMK. He first served as chief minister in 1980 and headed the then DMK-Congress coalition ministry which lasted in office for three years. He again became chief minister in 1990 and headed a short-lived DMK-Janata Dal coalition ministry for a year. Ramachandran quit the DMK and joined the Congress in 2000 and became the Speaker of the territorial Assembly in 2001 when the Congress formed the ministry under the leadership of N Rangasamy. He then became the vice-president of the Puducherry Pradesh Congress Committee. He promoted the cooperative movement in the union territory. Puducherry PCC president and Lok Sabha member V Vaithilingam expressed deep sorrow and grief over the demise of Ramachandran. Vaithilinga

Record rain was reported in parts of Puducherry and Tamil Nadu due to Cyclone Fengal. Impact also felt in other regions

Tamil Nadu and Puducherry remain on high alert, battling relentless rainfall and looming flood threats, even as Cyclone Fengal weakens in the region

Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy has said that a detailed report was being prepared assessing the extent of damage caused by the Cyclone Fengal and will be sent to the Centre seeking relief. All schools and colleges remained closed in Puducherry and Karaikal regions on Monday, Puducherry Home Minister A Namassivayam said in a release. After making landfall near Puducherry on November 30, Cyclone Fengal weakened on Sunday, but torrential downpour under its influence paralysed the union territory, with the Army stepping in to evacuate stranded persons in inundated streets. Four people died, officials said without divulging further details. Power supply which remained suspended for the whole region was restored in a phased manner on Monday morning. Some of the sub stations of the electricity department were water logged and immediate steps were taken to pump out the water, officials said. Venkata Nagar, Kamaraj Nagar, Vallalar Salai, Kamarajar Salai and a number of residential .

Cyclone Fengal, which made landfall on the coasts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on Saturday, November 30, has caused widespread flooding in several areas, particularly in Cuddalore

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday stated that the depression, a remnant of Cyclonic Storm Fengal over the north coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, moved west-northwestward at a speed of 7 km/h during the past six hours and was centred at 11"The depression (remnant of Cyclonic Storm Fengal) over the north coastal Tamil Nadu & Puducherry moved west-northwestward at a speed of 7 km/h during the past six hours and was centered at 23:30 IST on December 1, 2024, near latitude 12.2°N and longitude 79.2°E, about 40 km northwest of Villupuram, 70 km west-northwest of Puducherry, about 80 km northwest of Cuddalore, and 140 km southwest of Chennai," the IMD posted on X."It is likely to continue moving west-northwestward and gradually weaken into a well-marked low-pressure area over north interior Tamil Nadu during the next six hours. The remnant low-pressure area is expected to emerge over the southeast and adjoining east-central Arabian Sea off the north ...

According to IMD, Puducherry recorded 48.4cm rainfall in the last 24 hours (till 8.30 am Sunday), which is the highest 24-hours cumulative rainfall in the last 30 years

Cyclonic Storm Fengal crossed the North Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts during the early hours of Sunday morning and is likely to continue moving west-southwestward, weakening into a deep depression within the next few hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.According to the IMD, the cyclone crossed the coast near Puducherry between 10:30 pm and 11:30 pm IST, with wind speeds of 70-80 kmph gusting up to 90 kmph."The Cyclonic Storm FENGAL crossed North Tamil Nadu & Puducherry coasts near latitude 12.05°N and longitude 79.9°E, close to Puducherry, between 2230 hrs IST and 2330 hrs IST yesterday, the 30th November as a cyclonic storm with wind speed of 70-80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph. It lay centred at 2330 hours IST yesterday, the 30th of November over north coastal Tamilnadu & Puducherry near latitude 12.0°N and longitude 79.8°E, close to Puducherry. It will continue to move west-southwestwards slowly and weaken gradually into a deep depression during the next .