HELPING HAND: The former Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, speaking to a tribal woman suffering from malaria at Thotavalasa village in Dumbriguda mandal of Visakhapatnam agency area on Thursday. --Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam

ARAKU: The State Government "is indifferent'' to the plight of Girijans living in the agency area of Visakhapatnam district reeling malaria and other diseases, according to the Telugu Desam Party supremo, N. Chandrababu Naidu.

``Not providing them the necessary help is violation of human rights. We will approach the National Human Rights Commission on this issue,'' he declared here on Thursday after visiting a few fever-hit villages in the agency.

The former Chief Minister, launching a broadside on the Congress

Government, wanted the Congress president and United Progressive Alliance convener, Sonia Gandhi, to visit the agency area. "She was prompt in touring Anantapur and Adilabad districts (where farmers and Girijans committed suicide) when we were in power. Ms. Gandhi should see for herself how badly her own party Government is handling the situation.''

TDP plans dharna

Mr. Naidu said that he would talk to the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, and chalk out a plan of action depending on his reaction. Meanwhile, the TDP would hold a dharna in Visakhapatnam on Saturday.The TDP chief challenged Dr. Reddy to launch a `Girijana Baata' on the lines of his Nagara Baata and Palle Baata to understand the problems of tribals. " A survey done by TDP activists has revealed that 1,200 Girijans in 10 mandals have died of malaria so far this year. The figures from Koyyuru mandal are being tallied.''

During his first stop at Thotavalasa in Dumbriguda mandal, Mr. Naidu and the Narsipatnam MLA and TDP State secretary, Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu, strongly criticised the Minister for Commercial Taxes, Konathala Ramakrishna, for making an observation on Wednesday that there were no deaths due to malaria in the agency.

At Thotavalasa, Champaguda and Anantagiri villages, where he addressed the tribals, Mr. Naidu alleged that the measures taken by his Government in the past had been diluted. The TDP Government had appointed 8,500 community health workers and sufficient number of doctors and para-medical staff and made sure that they stayed at the places of work. But the doctors were now transferred from the agency area and the PHCs were not having sufficient stocks of drugs.

Rise in quota urged

He demanded that the Government increase the quantity of rice, being issued to the sick, by another 25 kg. He also wanted the Government to pay an ex gratia of Rs.1 lakh to each of the families of Girijans who died of malaria.

Former ministers Kodela Siva Prasada Rao and M. Manikumari, rural TDP president and former MLA Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy, former MP M.V.V.S. Murty, former MLAs, RSDPAN Raju and Kolla Appala Naidu and party leader like Sobha Hymavathi were present.

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