Date:06/04/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/06/stories/2008040659100700.htm

Andhra Pradesh

State should declare its land policy: CPI

Special Correspondent

‘Assignment of lands to individuals and companies left to whims and fancies’

‘UPA inept in checking restrictive trade practices’
Government urged to revive Commodities Act

TIRUPATI: The State Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), K. Narayana has said that in the absence of any specific land policy vis-a-vis the assignment of lands, mines etc to the individuals, companies etc, it was left to the whims and fancies of the government and those at the helm of affairs.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday the CPI leader referred to the reported allotment of about 650 acres of land in the coastline area in one go to the Undi MLA in an ‘undue haste’ recently by the State Government even as dragging its feet for the last ten years now on a similar request from the marginalised sections of Bandar. It was in this context that Narayana demanded the State Government to announce immediately its land policy.

As to the price spiralling as never before in the history of India, he said the CPI would blame it on the inept and inefficient rule of the UPA government in checking the traders and business establishments from indulging in restrictive trade practices and called upon the government to revive the Commodities Act which was allegedly abolished by the NDA government.

Dharnas

He said the CPI’s rank and file would hold massive dharnas before the Central Government and tahsildar offices on April 17-18 as part of the call the left parties given for a nationwide strike to protest against the skyrocketing of prices of all commodities without any exception.