JOIN USLeft parties withdraw dharna for right to food
The members of the Left Parties staged dharna in front of the office of the Deputy Commissioner up to 3 in the noon. Later, the DC Anwar Pasha invited the party leaders for talks.
Srirama Reddy of district CPI(M) and others pointed out the defects in the public distribution system. They said that food grains were not being distributed to beneficiaries and Fair Price Shops were not being opened by the licence-holders regularly. The reply by Deputy Director of Food and Civil Supplies Department, Sridhar, further enraged the workers.
Tempers however cooled down with the intervention of the Deputy Commissioner. The DC promised to address all the problems within three months.
Next on the list was the shortage of LPG to anganwadi centres. The workers urged to ensure proper supply of cylinders to the centres.
They also sought to ensure payment of salary to Gram Panchayat bill collectors well in time and to drop the practice of withholding the payment till they collect the revenue. The officers concerned assured to look into the demand.
The workers put out a long list of complaints at the government hospitals. They alleged poor sanitation and non-payment of incentives to people undergoing family planning operation. They complained that Madilu kits were not being issued at the hospital.
Irregularities in implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme continue unabated. Fraud is being committed in opening bank accounts as well.
Responding to the charges the officers said that 19 Gram Panchayat secretaries have already been suspended on charge of irregularities in the Scheme and stringent action will be initiated against anyone found guilty.
Zilla Panchayat chief executive officer N Krishnappa, Superintendent of Police Ravindra Prasad and members of various organisations were present at the meeting.