Puducherry in 2024: a year of three L-Gs, delayed projects, and a cyclone

Puducherry's eventful 2024: elections, governance changes, cultural highlights, and challenges in smart city projects.

The year 2024 set a scorching pace for a place that otherwise touts tranquillity as its defining trait, what with the rough and tumble of general elections in April-June and a full-time Lt. Governor taking charge. Cyclone Fengal that raged through the region came all sound and fury in December, and left a trail of destruction to remain etched as a bad memory. The domestic airport came out of a limbo towards year-end with flight services resuming to Bengaluru and Hyderabad; on the flip side, several smart city projects struggled to take off against a looming deadline of March, 2025. The year also saw an action-packed cultural calendar featuring several top-notch performances.

It was an extraordinary year that saw three Lt. Governors, governing in turns, from the Raj Nivas.

When Tamilisai Soundararajan was relieved of her gubernatorial responsibilities in Puducherry to fight the Lok Sabha polls on BJP ticket from Tamil Nadu, temporary charge of the UT was given to then Jharkhand Governor C. P Radhakrishnan. Post Lok Sabha polls, the Union Government appointed former bureaucrat from Gujarat K. Kailashnathan as Lt Governor of Puducherry.

In spite of the electoral setback for the ruling All India N.R Congress- Bharatiya Janata Party in the Lok Sabha elections where its Minister A. Namassivayam lost to sitting Congress MP V. Vaithilingam, the government appeared to correct course with a couple of pro-people initiatives.

Sensing voter displeasure over the continued closure of ration shops during the LS campaign stage itself, the government spared no effort in persuading the Raj Nivas to secure Central approval to reopen the outlets.

A majority of the ration shops are now reopened and the government has already distributed Deepavali gift items including rice and sugar through the Public Distribution System outlets. The administrative process to roll out distribution of monthly free rice through PDS outlets has also been completed.

Other measures include steps to recruit around 1,000 people in the departments of Police, Public Works, Cooperative, Education and Fire Service this year. The government has also started the process to recruit 300 odd Assistants through direct recruitment.