Pondicherry used to be the weekend destination for tipplers from the neighbouring districts of Tamil Nadu, particularly Chennai, during the prohibition era. Puducherry continued to be the heaven most sought after even now for the neighbours, not just the thirsty but also families shopping for home-needs, groceries and motor fuel at cheaper price due to low taxes; tourists looking for rest-relaxation and great food and of course, the seekers of Auro peace.

The challenge now gets tougher for Tamil Nadu as the Congress Chief Minister, V. Narayanasamy and Lt Governor Kiran Bedi of the BJP have decided to sink their political differences and work in tandem to push the Union Territory up the development ladder. The former says he is working hard towards ‘development’ and Singapore is his role-model, and the tough lady is promising ‘prosperous’ Puducherry. Both swore, during a recent interaction with Deccan Chronicle, that there would be no politics and no personal agendas in their mission.

The sharp political brain of Narayanasamy helps the CM’s office, so too his long experience in Delhi as the powerful Minister of State in the PMO of Manmohan Singh. As for Bedi, she is bringing in her passionate zeal to work 24x7—and work with the people from the ground level right up to the top brass in the state administration—which was visible during her police days and the famous tenure as the head of the huge Tihar jail.

“We have never been inside the Raj Nivas, let alone see the Lieutenant Governor at such close proximity. Now we are here for this long interaction with LG madam when we explained to her all our problems and she promised to set things right, real quick”, gushed a headmistress after posing for a group photograph with Bedi. She was among the invitees to Raj Nivas as the LG has undertaken an elaborate exercise to set things right in the government schools and improve the students’ results.

Shortly after the long interaction with the government teachers, Bedi hopped over to her conference table for viewing a video presentation on improving the transport system and unclogging the roads and bylanes in the former French colony.

She asked probing questions and came up with quick solutions at that late evening meeting with top officials, including director general of police Sunil Kumar Gautam, senior superintendent of police (SSP) Rajiv Ranjan and transport secretary Aun L. Desai. She asked the team to fix the date for the inaugural of the ‘Transport Nagar’ to freight trucks. “Invite the chief minister to inaugurate it”, she said, clearly showing she is not interested in any personal aggrandisement.

The Union Territory has been notorious for the fierce fights between its Lieutenant Governor, appointed by the Centre to run the administration as some sort of a British viceroy, and the ‘powerless’ Chief Minister.

But now, witnessing the pace and zeal with which both the LG and the CM are working, hand-in-hand, one cannot but admit that this heaven is getting even
better.