Oppose Hike in Gas Prices

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly opposes the decision of the government to increase the price of gas produced by the public sector companies from $ 1.8 per unit to $ 4.2 per unit. This doubling of the price in the Administered Price Mechanism (APM) has been done to bring it in line with the price approved by the government for the gas produced by the Reliance India Ltd (RIL).

The government decision seems motivated to ensure the market for RIL’s gas since the lower priced gas of the public sector enterprises would have been more attractive for the power and fertilizer producers.

By this step the additional burden of Rs. 8000 crore will be passed on to the consumers of power and fertilizers. The transport industry using CNG will also be affected.

The doubling of the APM gas price comes at a time when the country is witnessing high inflation and price rise. The benefits accruing to one corporate group seems more important for the government than public interest.

CITU DENOUNCES THE DOUBLING OF NATURAL GAS PRICE

BY THE INSENSITIVE GOVERNMENT

CITU strongly denounces the Government decision to increase the price of APM gas produced by ONGC and OIL form 1.79 dollar/unit to 4.2 dollar/unit in line with price approved by the Government for KG Basin Gas, supplied by Reliance India Limited which had earlier backed out of its offer of 2.34 dollar/unit to M/s NTPC.

The Government’s decision to increase the gas price is not for the improvement of the financial health of the PSUs but only to ensure RIL’s market as the power and fertilizer producers were opting for the low priced gas from ONGC and OIL. In the process, the additional burden of Rs. 8,000 Cr. approx. will be now passed on to the consumers of power and fertilizer for example cost of power tariff of plants using APM gas is likely to increase by Rs. 1/- per unit.

The CITU deplores the Government’s insensitivity and apathy to the woes of the inflation hit common man of the country. CITU further demands total review and scrutiny of Government’s gas pricing policy through CAG and Parliamentary Committees to expose the Government’s blatant misuse of executive power to foster one corporate group or other, at the cost of national interest.

AIDWA cadres court arrest across Tamil Nadu

All India Democratic Women Association staged a road blockade agitating against a slew of ‘grievances' against the government. Condemning the frequent power failure, urging State and Central governments to strengthen Public Distribution System (PDS), AIDWA called for a halt in both announced and unannounced power failures across the State. Further, it sought regularisation of ‘malfunctioning and dysfunctioning' NREGS programme in Tamil Nadu. Coming down on the Kalaignar's Housing Scheme, AIDWA stated that while majority of poor were landless, the Scheme's promise of construction of concrete houses for those with pattas would make no difference to the poor.

The road blockade, organised as part of the nation-wide agitation against various “flawed” policies of the government, was concluded after the AIDWA workers courted arrest.

The cadre said that the subsidy on ration should be hiked with immediate effect. The PDS , plagued by ills, should be strengthened. The drinking water scarcity must be eradicated. The water supply in all towns and cities had to be regularised.The members raised slogans demanding the Central and State governments to take immediate steps to control price rise besides seeking a ban on online trading of essential commodities.
Around 10,000 women courted arrest across the state.