Hyderabad: Following a call of the Central CPI committee, Telangana State unit secretary Chada Venkat Reddy here on Sunday called upon the people to storm district Collectorates and Revenue Divisional offices on Monday demanding that the governments immediately initiate measures to curb the rising prices of essential commodities all over the country.
In a statement here today, the State CPI secretary stated that the State government has a bounden duty to ensure supply of all kinds of essential commodities to the people below poverty line as well as the common man through the public distribution system at cheaper rates. Instead of strengthening the PDS further, the State government was not only weakening the existing system but also was conspiring to prune the number of BPL families in order to deprive them of the fruits of welfare programs, he lamented. The CPI leader also demanded that the Centre make the Price Control Act tough and make needed changes in the Public Distribution Act. He also demanded that the government punish the hoarders and blackmarketeers with iron hand and flush out hoarded stocks all over the country.
Though the working class and white collar employees were able to get some paltry hike in their pay, their living conditions were deteriorating further due to continuous inflation, he stated. Pointing out that whenever crude oil prices were rising, he stated the State governments were hiking fuel charges causing steep increase in the transport charges directly hitting the common man, who was moaning due to spiraling prices of essential commodities and transport charges. The CPI leader demanded that the Centre constitute a fund to control prices and bring back the black money of rich people to the country.
Venkat Reddy stated that though the State was reeling under severe drought conditions and distressed farmers were resorting to extreme step of ending their lives, the State government remained a silent spectator. Demanding that the State government create work for the hungry millions under the National Employment Assurance Scheme, the CPI leader demanded that the Centre and State governments launch drought eradication measures immediately. He called upon the people to lay a siege to the district Collectorates and Revenue Divisional Officer to register their protest against their burning problems. (NSS)
CPI call to storm Collectorates, RDOs today against spiraling prices, anti-poor policies
