A view of the Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital and Post Graduation Institute in Puducherry on Thursday. | Photo Credit: S.S. Kumar more-in The government was considering setting up an Oncology wing at the Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital and Postgraduate Institute, Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy informed the Assembly on Thursday. Replying to a question by AIADMK legislator Vayyapuri Manikantan, the Chief Minister said the demand for a separate wing at GH was justifiable as around 1,000 people died annually due to cancer in the Union Territory. The facility for cancer treatment was available only at Jipmer. The Centre did not concede the demand for a cancer hospital in the Union Territory citing the facility at Jipmer, he said. To another question raised by Independent MLA V. Ramachandran, the Chief Minister said Puducherry was one of the first to implement the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations. The government would clear arrears after the Central Government reimbursed ?1,050 crore incurred by the UT to implement the new pay scale. Retired staff would be paid pension based on the recommendations of the Commission after the Centre reimbursed the amount, he added. The Chief Minister informed the house that prior to the year of implementation of Goods and Service Tax, the Union Territory had collected ?1,565 crore as tax. Last year the tax collection was ?1,861 crore. The Centre had given an assistance of ?333 crore as compensation for the loss incurred in the first four months of GST implementation. He was replying to a query by AIADMK member A. Anbalagan. To a question raised by DMK legislator R. Siva, Minister for Public Works A. Namassivayam said an overbridge would be constructed at the railway line near Anglo French Textiles. The government was waiting for the completion of the overbridge at Arumparathapuram to start the work at AFT. An in-principle approval was given by the Railways for the overbridge construction, he said. The DMK leader said traffic jams are a daily occurrence at the gate and the roads leading to it. 530 vacancies Replying to a question by DMK legislator Geetha Anandan, Education Minister R. Kamalakannan said steps were being taken to fill 530 vacant posts in the Education Department. As many as 194 posts including that of principal, headmistress, headmasters and lecturers are vacant in Karaikal. To a supplementary question by A. Anbalagan, the Minister said 104 posts are already vacant in Puducherry and another 98 vacancies were anticipated in the near future.

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