Cong., CPI men lay siege to offices

By Our Staff Reporter

ANANTAPUR, MAY 30. Activists of the Congress and the Communist Party of India laid a siege to three offices of the AP Transco at Madakasira in Anantapur district on Tuesday in protest against the hike in power tariff. The offices were locked with the staff inside for most part of the day.

The protesters, led by Madakasira legislator, Mr. N. Raghuveera Reddy, and the CPI leader, Mr. Narasaiah, went to the offices of the Assistant Divisional Engineer, Assistant Engineer and Electricity Revenue Office and locked them with the staff inside.

They took the keys along and staged a rasta roko in the Ambedkar circle for over two hours demanding immediate withdrawal of the increase in power tariff. They stated that it was an unbearable burden on the common man.The police opened the offices in the evening after taking the keys from the protesting leaders. About 75 persons, including Mr. Raghuveera Reddy and Mr. Narasaiah, were arrested and released on personal bail. Meanwhile, the district unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) staged a dharna in front of the Mandal Revenue Office of Anantapur, against the power tariff hike. The protesters said high tension electricity users were the main culprits for the revenue loss.

CM's effigy burnt

According to a report from Cuddapah, All-India Youth Federation activists burnt an effigy of the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, at Seven Roads junction decrying the steep increase in power tariff.

They earlier came in a rally from the CPI office raising slogans alleging that the `hitec CM' was not bothered about the plight of the common man, middle class persons and farmers. Addressing the protesters, the CPI town secretary, Mr. P. Krishnamurthy, alleged that the Chief Minister made the power tariff unaffordable to the common man and wanted them to live in darkness.

Mr. Krishnamurthy flayed the Central and State Governments for steeply hiking taxes and prices of various commodities immediately after the recent municipal elections. Mr. Naidu would know the people's aversion to his policies if he elicited the public opinion, he said. He demanded the Chief Minister to immediately reduce the power tariff instead of shedding `crocodile tears.'

The AIYF district secretary, Mr. C. Subrahmanyam, lit the effigy and activists raised slogans against Mr. Naidu.

Meanwhile, CPI(M) activists staged a dharna near old bus stand. The CPI(M) district secretary, Mr. B. Narayana Reddy, called upon the people to raise the protest in one voice. The A.P. Transco was ignoring recovery of huge arrears from big defaulters, but targeted the middle classes, he alleged.

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