Kerala State Government trying to appease Asian Development Bank

Trivandrum, India, Aug. 4 2002 (INS News) -- Kerala State Secretary of Communist Party of India (Marxist) Pinarayi Vijayan said that the Kerala state government is planning to hike the power tariff in Kerala on the directives from the Asian Development Bank.

Addressing media persons in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, Pinarayi Vijayan said that the decisions taken by the state government has become efforts to merely appease the Asian Development Bank.

Vijayan, a former state Electricity minister in the previous Left Democratic Front headed by Communist Party of India (Marxist), said the present rates were fixed after assessing the additional expenses involved by utilizing thermal power also. He pointed out that the Congress lead United Democratic Front Governement after coming into power has already made a 25% hike in the power tariff. The proposed hike will invite public ire and mass agitations, he warned.

-- Binu Raveendranath in Trivandrum, India
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