CPI(M) demands independent probe into starvation deaths

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, MAY 20. The State Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), on Saturday took exception to the way the State Government was dismissing reports on starvation deaths and demanded the constitution of an independent expert committee to enquire into them and find out the truth.

Releasing the resolutions adopted at the State Committee meeting held here on May 17 and 18 at a press conference, Mr. B. V. Raghavulu, secretary of the committee, said it was unfortunate that the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, the Civil Supplies Minister, Mr. N. Janardhan Reddy, and others in the Government were busy denying media reports on starvation deaths, instead of looking into the causes and rushing relief to the suffering people.

Through four resolutions, the State Committee demanded drought relief steps on a war-footing, a comprehensive water policy, building pressure on the Centre to drop the proposal to privatise the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and withdraw the move to hike power tariff.

He said the issue of people's suffering in drought-hit areas was being treated in an ``indifferent manner.'' The Chief Minister was adopting ``double standard.'' In Delhi he talked about a human face to the administration but when it came to tackling drought, it was the ``inhuman face'' all the way. For instance, at videoconferences with district Collectors on the drought situation, the Chief Minister had asked them to deploy machines for various works as it was cheaper than payment of wages to labourers. ``The Government is now showing its mechanical face.''

Mr. Raghavulu charged the Government with carrying out a misleading campaign, portraying as if watershed and water harvesting programmes were the only methods of overcoming drought. This was in total neglect of the irrigation projects demanded by the drought-hit people to solve their problems on a permanent basis. The present water harvesting campaign was aimed at diverting the attention of people from the big projects. It was also in tune with the World Bank 's directions asking the Government not to take up new projects.

This was yet another example to show that the World Bank was deciding the agenda of the State Government and seen with the way the Bank representatives attended the public hearing of the A P Electricity Regulatory Commission, the State seem to willingly become a guinea pig for all the Bank's experiments, he alleged.

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Section  : Southern States
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