| Voice of Puducherry
: Murugan Bala
Government has made some good developmental polices but the implementation
is weak. Corrupt politicians and some government officials use the
funds and policies for themselves. Due to this the common man is
deprived of basic facilities. After Tsunami many people where displaced
and had to face lot hardships. Children, women and disabled are
the most affected group. Many NGOs came forward to help them out.
Lack of funds makes the NGOs disabled and they too are not able
to do much.
Puducherry
District
Area, Population & Sex Ratio
Geographical Area : 290.0 Km2
Population in Puducherry (Census 2011)
Total Population
Total : 946,600
Male : 466,143
Female : 480,457
Disabled population
Total disabled population : 19151
In seeing : 7515
In speech : 1314
In hearing : 1766
In movement : 6843
Mental : 1713
Rank ( VoiceOfBharat.org Analysis
)
Backwardness : Does not figure in list of 447 backward
districts
Sex Ratio Rank : 486
(Rank one is least sex ratio - Cenus 2001)
HIV Category District : B
(HIV Sentinel Surveillance 2004 - 2006)
Disability : 429 (Census 2001)
Literacy Ratio : 47 (Census 2001)
Minority : Does not figure in MCD
Brief About Pondicherry District
Profile :
Pondicherry the capital, 162 kms South of Chennai on the East
coast of South India.
Karaikal, 132 kms South of Pondicherry.
Yanam, in the East Godavari district in Andhra Pradhesh, and Mahe,
in the Cannanore District of Kerala.
The origin of Pondicherry is buried in legends.
According to one view, the town was once called Vedapuri and was
a seat of Vedic culture, and the abode of Sage Agastya. Prof. Jonvean
Dubrouil, the French archeologist believes that the Ashram of Agastya
was on the very spot where the main building of Sri Aurobindo Ashram
stands today.
Remnants of an ancient port town have been excavated at Arikamedu,
6 kms from Pondicherry town, clearly proving that it had trade
connections with Rome and Greece, around the period 100 BC
and 100 AD.
Pondicherry continued to flourish even during the Chola period,
as the discovery of the Chola coins from the eleventh and twelfth
centuries indicate. These Chola coins and the artefacts from the
excavations at Arikamedu can be viewed in the Pondicherry Museum.
Modern Pondicherry
The history of modern Pondicherry starts with the
arrival of the French in 1673, who ruled for most part of the next
281 years.
Seaside resort Pondicherry has a special ambience,
not felt anywhere else in India. It is a blend of spiritual aura,
French colonial heritage, Tamil culture and the cosmopolitan flair
of many nationalities in a small but varied town. The inherent ambience
of Pondy, as it is fondly called, becomes most evident in the oldest
part of the town which flanks the seashore boulevard
. Colonial buildings, some which trace back to the 18th century,
line along a grid of straight clean streets and house the French
institutions, private homes and businesses, and the sprawling premises
of the famous Sri Aurobindo Ashram.
The visitor is greeted by mellow colours of cream, yellow, pink
and grey with flamboyant bougainvillae bursting over gates and compound
walls of cool courtyards. Quiet beaches and peaceful resorts to
the north and south balance the town's bustling, yet easy going
life.
But Pondy hasn't only its own special attractions
to offer. It is a perfect base to explore the rich destinations
around it, even in daily trips: Auroville, the international City
of Unity; the imposing Gingee Fort, the holy temple towns of Kanchipuram,
Tiruvannamalai and Chidambaram, the heritage sculptures and magnificent
rock temples of Mamallapuram, and the cool and lush hillstations
of Yercaud and Kodaikanal.
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