GENERATING HEAT: CPI(M) activists taking out a procession to highlight gas consumers' problems at Anantapur on Tuesday.

ANANTAPUR: The Left parties took out a procession and staged a rasta roko here on Tuesday in protest against the alleged problems being created by the administration to consumers of cooking gas. Party activists hung empty cylinders on their necks as a mark of protest.

The procession was taken out from the party office to municipal office where two CPI(M) corporators were on a 24-hour fast. Then it returned to Tower Clock Circle along with the two corporators after they ended the fast. A rasta roko was staged at the circle for about half-an-hour.

Stipulation

District secretary of the CPI(M) G. Obulakonda Reddy demanded that the Government to withdraw the stipulation of linking the ration card with booking of LPG, regularise old gas connections , supply five litres kerosene to `deepam' beneficiaries on a monthly basis and order a probe into the irregularities of private gas agencies.

Party leaders — V. Rambhupal, K.A. Ratnaiah, Pulla Reddy — and corporators — P. Prasuna and K. Susheela — alleged that the unwarranted system of booking gas only if ration card is produced, was creating problems to the middle class .

They demanded fresh booking for consumers who had booked cylinders in January but did not get the delivery, as the agencies had diverted such cylinders to the black market.

The CPI staged a dharna in front of the Collectorate alleging Government inaction on the rising prices of essential commodities. Party activists also staged a dharna in front of the HP gas agency demanding withdrawal of new stipulation for booking gas.

Poor hit badly: CPI

District secretary of the party M.V. Ramana, deputy secretary C. Jaffer and others said the poor and middle class had been facing untold hardships. They attributed the rising prices to the `anti-people' policies of State and Central governments. Lack of MSP for foodgrains and pulses and lack of procurement by the Government was adding to the problem, they explained.

Later, they submitted a memorandum to Collector D. Kadmiel and urged Government to initiate steps to control the price rise.

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