The Hindu : Kerala News : UDF drops hartal plan

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Wednesday, Jul 18, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala

UDF drops hartal plan

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) has dropped its plan to organise a State-wide hartal on Wednesday over the issue of the Government’s “negligence” in tackling chikungunya and other viral epidemics in the State.

At a press conference here on Tuesday, Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy said the decision to drop the hartal plan was because of the natural calamities in various parts of the State during the current spell of monsoon rain.

The media and the general public expressed the view that, though the circumstances that had forced the UDF to call the hartal still continued unchanged, it would be inappropriate to inconvenience the people in any way at a time like this. Mr. Chandy said the UDF would honour the general sentiments and resort to other methods of agitation to spur the Government into action against the spread of viral diseases.

Mr. Chandy said that with the viral diseases spreading fast in the State affecting lakhs of people, mostly from the weaker sections, the absence of a health insurance scheme of the type launched by the previous Government was being felt badly by the people.

The Left Democratic Front (LDF), on assuming power, had dismantled the scheme on flimsy grounds. Confronting criticism from the Opposition, the Government had promised to introduce a new health insurance scheme.

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