Mon Dec 15 19:03:51 UTC 2025: Summary:

Puducherry’s Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan and Chief Minister N. Rangasamy jointly inaugurated renovated “dhobikhanas” (laundry worker facilities) and a modern fish market in Puducherry. These projects, funded by the Union Government’s Cities Investments to Innovate Integrate and Sustain (CITIIS) Challenge program, aim to improve urban infrastructure for low-income settlements. The renovated dhobikhanas, located in Marapalam and Ramalinga Nagar, cost ₹3.82 crore and ₹1.86 crore respectively and provide improved facilities for laundry workers, including living quarters and storage. The new fish market in Nethaji Nagar cost ₹1.93 crore. An LPG crematorium, also built under the CITIIS project at a cost of ₹3.3 crore, has also been made operational.

News Article:

Puducherry Unveils Modernized Dhobikhanas, Fish Market Under CITIIS Initiative

PUDUCHERRY, December 16, 2025 – Puducherry residents are now benefiting from improved urban infrastructure following the inauguration of renovated “dhobikhanas” (laundry worker facilities) and a modern fish market. The projects were jointly unveiled by Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan and Chief Minister N. Rangasamy yesterday in a ceremony held in Marapalam.

Funded through the Union Government’s Cities Investments to Innovate Integrate and Sustain (CITIIS) Challenge program, the initiatives aim to enhance living and working conditions for low-income communities in the region. The renovations of the dhobikhanas in Marapalam and Ramalinga Nagar, which cost ₹3.82 crore and ₹1.86 crore respectively, provide laundry workers with essential amenities such as living quarters and storage facilities. The newly constructed hygienic fish market in Nethaji Nagar, built at a cost of ₹1.93 crore, is expected to improve sanitation and hygiene standards for vendors and consumers.

“The renovation of dhobikhanas was one of the long-pending demands of laundry workers, and we are happy to have fulfilled it,” said an official.

In addition to the dhobikhanas and fish market, an LPG crematorium constructed under the CITIIS project, costing approximately ₹3.3 crore, has also been made operational for public use.

The CITIIS Challenge, launched in 2018 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs as part of the Smart City project, supports sustainable urban infrastructure projects in low-income settlements. Puducherry was selected as one of the regions to implement these improvements.

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