Puducherry, Aug 8: The Congress government in Puducherry today extended three-day mourning to seven days following the death of DMK leader M Karunanidhi. A cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister V Narayanasamy took the decision to extend the period of mourning to seven days instead of three as announced earlier. The chief minister told reporters after the meeting that all government functions during this period stand cancelled as a mark of respect to the DMK leader, who breathed his last in a private hospital in Chennai yesterday.

Narayanasamy said a bronze statue of Karunanidhi would be installed in the union territory as per a decision taken by the cabinet. The Kottucherry-Tirunallar bypass road in Karaikal, an enclave of the union territory of Puducherry, would be named after the late DMK leader, he said. The cabinet earlier paid glowing tributes to Karunanidhi and recalled his services for the welfare of the downtrodden and backward sections.