REPORT

Campaign Against Privatisation of Water in Delhi

The CPI (ML) Delhi unit launched a massive state-wide campaign against the increase in water tariff hike, the blatant sell out of infrastructural resources at an abysmally low price and the shameful persistence of trying to implement the policies of privatization in the Delhi Jal Board as it calls for an immediate popular intervention. People from different cross sections of the society marched towards the State Secretariat shouting slogans against the nefarious designs of the Congress government. A memorandum signed by several thousand citizens from all walks of life was submitted by a 4-member delegation team. During the course of the campaign, on 10 th November a special programme was organized in which not only leaflets were distributed, street corner meetings organized and signatures collected but also sit-in-dharnas were successfully conducted in different parts of the city.

In his address to the rally, Mr. Rajendra Pratholi, Secretary, Delhi unit of CPI (ML) said that the entire process of trying to expedite the process of privatizing the water sector in a sinister manner. He asked the Sheila Government not to finalize negotiations with the WB by the end of this month. He openly declared war on the attempts to take away free access to clean and pure water which is a natural right of the people ensuring minimum living conditions in the state.

Mr. Samudra Paswan, President of the Delhi Nagarik Sabha too criticized the anti-people role of the Congress govt. in the state and said while the citizens are already reeling under the impact of privatization of the Delhi Vidyut Board, paying exceedingly high tariff for an intermittent and irregular supply of electricity, battling against high speed faulty metres, the water sector too is being opened up as a further pathway for extracting the hard earned money of the people.