People's
Democracy
(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of
India (Marxist) No. 03
January 19, 2003
(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of
India (Marxist) |
Vol.
XXVII No. 03 January 19, 2003 |
THE
CPI(M)’s
Delhi
state
committee
has
strongly
condemned
the
statement
made
by
the
Delhi
chief
minister
Smt
Shiela
Dikshit
expressing
the
intention
of
her
government
to
privatise
the
Delhi
Jal
Board
(DJB).
The
statement
said
the
Delhi
government
appears
to
be
hell-bent
on
handing
over
vital
public
utilities
to
private
profiteers,
totally
regardless
of
the
disastrous
impact
of
such
measures
on
the
people
of
Delhi.
The
CPI(M)
statement
issued
on
January
10
quoted
an
official
of
the
DJB
telling
the
press
that
privatised
water
for
domestic
consumption
would
cost
Rs
200
per
kilolitre
as
against
its
present
cost
of
Rs
35
per
kilolitre.
In
other
words,
one
bucket
of
water
will
cost
almost
Rs
4.
This
is
nothing
less
than
outrageous
and
can
never
be
accepted,
the
statement
said.
The
Delhi
government
had
earlier
privatised
power
with
loud
promises
about
improvement
in
availability
and
services.
These
promises
have
fallen
flat
and
the
residents
of
Delhi
are
being
subject
to
unannounced
and
unscheduled
power
cuts
on
a
daily
basis
in
these
days
of
biting
cold.
The
only
people
who
have
gained
from
this
are
the
private
profiteers
who
bought
the
rights
for
power
distribution
at
throwaway
prices.
The
CPI(M)
has
demanded
that
the
Delhi
government
immediately
abandon
its
plan
to
privatise
the
Delhi
Jal
Board.
It
warned
that,
failing
this,
the
people
of
Delhi
would
give
a
befitting
reply
to
the
Congress
and
its
government,
both
on
the
streets
and
in
the
forthcoming
assembly
elections.
(INN)
