Chief Minister of Puducherry V Narayanasamy on Thursday said classes for standards X and XII alone resumed here but only on trial basis. He said students of X and XII would have public examinations in March or April 2021, hence they should be helped to prepare for the public exams. 

Therefore, the classes began from Wednesday, he said. "We will watch the situation for a week. In case any setback in the health of the students is seen, we will reconsider the decision to re-open the schools," the Chief Minister said. He brushed aside the protests by political parties against the re-opening of the schools as politically motivated and aimed at bringing bad name to the government. 

The Chief Minister said not all classes were re-opened. Students are left with the option to attend the classes only after presenting letters of consent from their parents. He said attendance was not compulsory and the students attending the classes were doing so on their own volition. 

The pupils would be subjected to medical tests, he said adding: "All safety protocols will be followed." Narayanasamy thanked Union Minister Nitin Gadkari for inaugurating on Wednesday the Rs 35-crore road-over-bridge in neighbouring Arumbarthapuram. 

The Chief Minister said the Central Minister had approved a number of road development projects for Puducherry, including the four-lane proposed between Villupuram and Nagapattinam via Puducherry and Karaikal regions involving an investment of Rs 2,100 crore. "I thank the Union Minister and also Prime Minister for conceding to the Puducherry government`s requests for a number of road projects," the Chief Minister said.