Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Sep 9: A protest meeting under the leadership of the district Janata Dal (S) and the city unit of the party was held in front of the office of the deputy commissioner here on Monday September 8, charging the state government with total failure during its 100-day rule.

The Mangalore City Corporation run by the BJP not only hiked water tariff, but also committed atrocities on the innocent protestors by using the brutal police force. It has belied its poll promises and implemented the self assessment property tax system. The corrupt officials of Mescom were given protection by the BJP top brass. It is also shielding the real culprits responsible for the death of the wife of Udupi MLA. The state government wants to cover up its follies by organizing grand functions to mark 100 days of its rule in the state, the protestors said.

At the state-level, the government committed several blunders like firing at Haveri protestors, asking farmers to pay old dues of electricity charges, merry-making jaunt by ministers and legislators to USA, irrigation problems, bus fare hike, non-issuance of ration cards to the poor, apathy towards villages, failure in protecting law and order, load shedding etc., the leaders alleged.

Party district prepsident K B Balraj Rai, J S Noronha, M B Sadashiv, Abubakker Natekal, Sushil Noronha, D S Aslam, Aziz Kudrily etc., took part in the protest.

Udupi district unit of JD (S) too organized a similar protect in the district headquarters on Monday. JD (S) leader Deviprasad Shetty charged the state government with resorting to firing at agitating farmers and sending the legislators on foreign trip at a time when farmers were committing suicide in the state.

Speaking at a protest programme organized by the district unit of JD (S) in front of the office of the Udupi district deputy commissioner, he alleged that the state government has also failed to keep up its promise of supplying rice to the poor at two rupees per kilogram. The government has earmarked only 22% of the budgetary allocation for irrigation, lowest in the history of the state. The government does not have any concern for the villages and farmers, he said.

Shalini Shetty Kenchanur, Geetanjali suvarna, Mattar Ratnakar Hegde, Jaykumar Parkala and others took part in the protest. Later, a delegation of protestors handed over a memorandum to the deputy commissioner.