Govt employees outfit protests move for statehood for Puducherry

The Central Federation of the Puducherry government employees today criticised the administration's move to procure full statehood for Puducherry which has been a Union Territory all along.
   
P Lakshmanasamy, Federation general secretary, told reporters here that they had filed a petition in the Supreme Court last month, seeking a judicial remedy to ensure that Puducherry continued as a Union Territory.
   
Under the present constitutional status,the government has all necessary powers and statutory powers,which were seldom used, he said, adding the administration let everything go without rectification.
   
He said prices here were higher than a full fledged state and this was happening despite lower sales tax structure than bigger States. The administration should have intervened and curbed price rise within powers available under the statues. But nothing had been done.
   
Statehood would be a threat to the government to mobilize resources and so the federation was opposed to the move.
    
The Federation would hold a seminar on the issue on December 30, where opinions would be aired against statehood among other issues, he said.