People's Democracy

DELHI

 CPI(M) Protests Against Water-Electricity

 Shortage & Petro  Price Hike

THE Delhi state committee of the CPI(M) organised a protest dharna at ITO on July 2, 2009 against water-electricity shortage in the city and the hike in the prices of petrol and diesel in the country. The Dharna was addressed by CPI(M) secretariat members Baldev Singh, Vijender Sharma and Rampal along with local committee secretaries of different areas of Delhi. The speakers revealed instances of large scale practice of sale of water, nepotism and political patronage to the water and electricity mafia in the city, large scale wastage of water and theft of electricity. The CPI(M) demands that the privatisation of electricity and maintenance of Jal Board in Delhi be immediately reversed, and lower income settlements treated with an even hand in the supply of water and electricity without delay. They also demanded the withdrawal of price hike in oil prices.

The dharna was also addressed by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and MP Brinda Karat. She criticised the government over its anti-people move of hiking the prices of petrol and diesel, that too in complete disregard of the parliament on the eve of the budget session. This move smacked of insensitivity towards the people who are already suffering under high food prices and will guarantee further price rise. The government has chosen to tax the common people as opposed to reducing its own tax share by this hike. She also criticised the government's Economic Survey which has outlined plans for restricting subsidy on LPG cylinders to just 8 cylinders per year, allowing FDI in Retail and raising Rs 25,000 crores by disinvestment of PSUs. This exposes the true neo-liberal character of the Congress led government in the absence of the Left.

Brinda Karat also criticised the Delhi government for encouraging privatisation of water by permitting private bore-wells in the city which is leading to large scale appropriation of water resources in Delhi by private players. The private electricity board which has failed to improve its performance in seven years is unlikely to do so in the four days given to it by the chief minister. She called upon activists of the Party and the people of Delhi to gear up for struggles ahead against the anti-people policies of the central as well a Delhi government.