A total of 201 members of All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA), women's wing of Communist Party of India (Marxist), were arrested here on Thursday when they blocked road to press a charter of demands. The agitators came down heavily on the frequent power cuts experienced in the city which, according to them, has been impeding the growth of the knitwear cluster based here.
“Any production loss in the apparel industry will affect the livelihood of thousands of women employed in the industry,” AIDWA state president N. Amrutham, who led the agitation, said. The AIWDA women condemned the acute drinking water crisis experienced in the city.
“It is a pity that the authorities concerned have not taken any steps to augment the supply despite repeated representations from elected representatives of various local bodies pointing out the disparity in demand and supply,” they said. Other major demands raised by the AIDWA members were the need to streamline the Public Distribution System (PDS) and fiscal measures to control the price inflation.
