New SEC assumes charge in Puducherry

Puducherry, May31 (PTI) R.Udipta Ray, an IAS officer of the AGMU (Union Territories) cadre and former Secretary to Lt Governor of Puducherry, today assumed charge as the new State Election Commissioner. The post of SEC was laying vacant for nearly three years. Ray's appointment as the new SEC was approved by the Union Home Ministry recently and paves the way for holding the civic polls that have been due since July last year. All the civic bodies are now officially administered. Puducherry had the first municipal poll in June/July 2006 under the new municipal legislation after 38 years. The Puducherry region has two municipal councils while Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam have one council each. There are ten commune panchayats in Puducherry and Karaikal regions and 98 village panchayats within the limits of the commune panchayats in the two regions.