VISAKHAPATNAM: The Communist Party of India (Maoist) has given a call to the public to boycott the Visakha Utsav celebrations which are scheduled to be organised by the district administration from December 28 to 30. In a four-page (Telugu) media release, Maoist party Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zone Committee (AOB SZC) official spokesperson Jagabandhu has given the boycott call. He said the government wants to benefit the corporate companies by organising the event.
Jagabandhu said the entire State is presently reeling under severe drought. North Andhra districts incurred losses due to continuous cyclones. In Visakhapatnam district, ground water depletion is increasing and illegal mining is causing severe damage to the environment. However, the State government is apathetic to all this and is moving ahead with plan to celebrate Visakha Utsav at a cost of `3.5 crore of public money, he alleged.
As per government’s statistics, crops in an extent of 50,000 hectares have withered due to severe drought conditions across the Visakhapatnam district and the crop loss to farmers is put at `200 crore, the Maoist leader said and added that a large number of midday meal women workers were forced to remain unemployed after the government handed over the programme to private organisations.
Dalits, tribals, farmers, women, students, employees and even intellectuals are on the warpath against the policies of the Central and State governments. Financial conditions of all sections of the society have deteriorated. Despite these problems, the government is going ahead to waste public money on Visakha Utsav, he alleged.