Cong. men lock up Transco office

By Our Staff Reporter

CUDDAPAH, JUNE 6. The Congress MLA, Mr. N. Varadarajulu Reddy, and party activists laid a siege to the office of the divisional Engineer, A.P. Transco electricity revenue, at Proddatur and locked up the office late on Monday evening, after sending the DE and other employees out.

Demanding rollback of the power tariff, the MLA and others took out a massive rally in the town. Party activists of Proddatur, Chapadu and Rajupalem participated in substantial numbers and raised slogans against the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu. The Congressmen went in procession to the electrical sub- station and then to the MRO office via the municipal office, Vasanthapet, One Town street, Ammavarisala and Sivalayam street to the MRO office.

The MLA demanded immediate reduction in tariff for agriculturists and warned of intensifying the agitation. The activists asserted through slogans that they would not pay the power bills to register their protest. Mr. Varadarajulu Reddy submitted a memorandum to the Mandal Revenue Officer, Mr. Ratna Kumar.

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) district secretary, Mr. B. Narayana Reddy, condemned the indiscriminate police lathicharge, causing bleeding injuries, on party leaders and activists who agitated peacefully at Hyderabad and Vijayawada, demanding rolling back of the power tariff.

Lambasting the Chief Minister for his `anti-people decisions,' Mr. Narayana Reddy demanded all democratic-minded people to condemn the arrest and atrocious behaviour against agitators. He warned that no firing or lathicharge could stop the agitation until the steep hike was withdrawn.

The CPI (M) launched a signature campaign and was motivating people to send telegrams to the Governor, Dr. C. Rangarajan, and send post cards decrying the hike from June 6 to 13, he said. Effigies would be burnt in all towns on June 13 and a road blockade would be organised in all mandal and Assembly constituency headquarters on June 16, Mr. Reddy stated.

Mr. Narayana Reddy demanded the scrapping of the A.P. Electricity Regulatory Commission, which slapped a steep hike, in the guise of implementing reforms. Reforms must benefit people, not burden them, he observed. He charged the Government with hiking power tariff on the World Bank's directions.

Power bills burnt

According to a report from Anantapur CPI(M) activists burnt a heap of electricity bills after taking them out from an electricity revenue office at Gooty. They also picketed the offices of the Assistant Engineer, Assistant Divisional Engineer, Divisional Engineer and sub-station in the town.

Scores of farmers and women participated in the protest programme that went on for more than three hours. They raised slogans against the Government and demanded immediate withdrawal of the hike.

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