The Hindu : UDF to begin awareness campaign

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 10, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

UDF to begin awareness campaign

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Oct. 9. In a major move, the UDF has decided to institutionalise its set-up at the lower levels by reviving the functioning of district liaison committees.

The inspiration for this has obviously come from the recent controversy over the power tariff hike and the refusal of the Opposition parties to appreciate the democratic manner in which the Government handled the issue.

The first step of this new mode of working is the massive campaign the ruling coalition has charted out to convince the people about the inevitability of the power tariff hike.

Addressing a press conference here today at the end of a conference of chairpersons and conveners of district liaison committees, the UDF convener, Oommen Chandy said that the committees would be convened in all the 14 districts on October 12. All UDF leaders, MLAs and other district-level leaders belonging to the respective districts would attend the conference to give shape to the campaign.

The UDF has also convened a joint full-day conference at Kovalam. The conference will be attended by all district chairmen, conveners, Ministers, and leaders of various constituents. Mr Chandy said the move was intended to strengthen the functioning of the ruling front. He said the respective UDF district liaison committees have been asked to put forward their views about the functioning of the Government and the UDF during the last 16 months it has been in power, besides suggesting measures to improve its performance.

As part of the campaign, public meetings will be convened in all the Assembly constituencies before November 3. Such meetings will be convened in all the districts before October 29. These meetings would be addressed by the UDF leaders, including the Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, he said. The meeting at Thiruvananthapuram would be attended by all senior UDF leaders, including the Chief Minister.

The following is the schedule of meetings in other districts - October 25: Alappuzha, Kollam Kozhikode; October 26: Ernakulam,Thrissur, Thodupuzha (Idukki); October 19: Kannur; October 14: Pathanamthitta and Palakkad; October 27: Kasaragod; October 29: Wayanad and Kottayam; October 28: Malappuram.

Mr. Chandy said the Chief Minister would attend the meetings in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, and Malappuram.

He said the awareness campaign on the power issue is being organised as the UDF viewed seriously the Opposition criticism. He said it was unfortunate that the Opposition parties had failed to fully understand or appreciate the democratic approach adopted by the ruling coalition prior to the decision to hike power tariff rates. The Opposition announcement that it would launch an agitation against the power tariff hike conveniently ignores the fact that the LDF rule was primarily responsible for the crisis in the power sector. He said the KSEB budget tabled by the LDF Finance Minister, T. Sivadasa Menon, had referred to additional resource mobilisation to the tune of Rs. 800 crores. It had also referred to Rs. 801 crores as Government grant to the board. However, it had not only failed to allocate this amount, but owing to its wayward ways, it had landed the KSEB in the red

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