The Left parties hit the poll campaign with the slogan of ‘free safe drinking water’ as part of the joint manifesto for civic polls in the city.
The major problem faced by people—steep hike in water tariff and Under Ground Drainage (UGD) charges, water meters—topped their agenda. The CPI and CPI(M) have promised to ensure free water supply to the poor and lower middle class, and the rollback of hike in water tariff for domestic consumers. There was also an assurance of slashing the water tariff for apartments and commercial buildings.
Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, CPI (M) city secretary Mr. Ch. Babu Rao and his CPI counterpart Mr. Donepudi Sankar said that they would scrap the user charges on garbage collection. They said that termination of contract with the Real Energy that manages the street lighting in the city was another priority for the parties and maintenance of street lights would be reverted back to the VMC.
Anti-privatisation standThe leaders also promised that they would stop the privatisation of Kamala Bhavans and Kalyana Mandapams and the Corporation would be asked to take up the maintenance, if the parties were voted to power.
The Left leaders said that they would take necessary measures to acquire land for dumping yards, which remained unsolved all these years; stop dumping garbage at Ajitsingh Nagar and shifting of the Shriram Energy would be taken up. Setting up Primary Health Centres in every division and strengthening of existing Urban Health Centres, development of ghat roads in hilly areas, setting up new school buildings and a central library were among the promises the made.
