The Communist Party of India has demanded that a citizens’ committee be formed to supervise the work of relief and rehabilitation in disaster affected Uttarakhand. The CPI has also urged the Central Government to grant a special financial package to the State for relief and rehabilitation, particularly for the locals who have lost their homes and means of livelihood.
Addressing the media in Dehradun, the CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy said that apart from aiding in the relief works, the party cadres will ensure that the relief and rehabilitation funds reach to all the people who have suffered from loss of lives and property. “We urge the Uttarakhand Government to fully utilise the relief fund received from various sources and constitute a people supervisory committee to supervise the work of relief and rehabilitation. We also urge the Central Government to grant a special financial package to the State especially for rehabilitating the locals affected by disaster,” said Reddy.
The party has also requested the State government to review all the hydro power projects sanctioned by successive Congress and BJP led State governments on the tributaries of the Ganga and other rivers. “These projects have badly affected the environment and paved the way for landslides and destruction. Deforestation needs to be stopped and the State needs to be provided constitutional safeguard for land holding as provided to various other hilly states. The purchase of land for commercial purpose needs to be controlled in Uttarakhand,” stressed the CPI general secretary. He also emphasised that the party is totally against the Coca Cola bottling plant sanctioned by the State government. This contract needs to be scrapped immediately as it will not only affect the nearby hydro power projects but also make water a scarce commodity even for drinking and irrigation, added Reddy.
Speaking about party matters, he said that the CPI national council has called for two national campaigns in the coming months- national election fund campaign and a campaign on vital national issues which will culminate in party leaders and cadres courting arrest. This campaign in the first week of October will demand curb in price rise and inflation, tackling unemployment, food security to all, land distribution and agrarian reforms for rejuvenating agriculture, pensions to all eligible sections of farmers and agri-labour, artisans and other working people and protection of democratic rights among other issues.