T-JAC draws up plans for organisation building

To raise issues of public importance, says Kodandaram

The Telangana political joint action committee (JAC) has decided to expand its operations to grass root level to highlight the problems faced by the common man in villages and mandals.

The JAC has also decided to respond to issues of immediate public importance like its struggle against open cast mining and the Government’s decision to restrict conduct of dharnas and other agitations to city outskirts. The steering committee of the JAC which met here on Sunday held elaborate discussions on the issues that should be taken up in the coming days.

The JAC would accordingly take to the people issues like irrigation, fees charged from students and non-remunerative prices to agriculture produce. The JAC had also resolved to visit tribal areas in different parts of the State where lands of tribes were being taken away in the name of projects like harita haaram. The meeting had also resolved to extend its full support to the proposed public meeting of the unemployed youth which was denied permission in the past, as and when it was organised.

Public meeting

The meeting had resolved to conduct all party meeting soon on the Government’s reported moves to encourage open cast mines under the Singareni Collieries Company Limited while there would be a public meeting at Mancherial on the issue of compassionate appointments in Singareni Collieries which had been set aside by the High Court.

Another round table meeting on the Government’s decision to shift dharna chowk from Indira Park would be held soon. “The meeting will be held within a 10 days,” JAC chairman M. Kodandaram said.

He said the JAC would also meet Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan seeking his intervention in the death of a SC youth Madhukar who was seriously injured during the attack on him as he was in love with a non-SC girl. “This is the second such incident in the recent weeks in Karimnagar. We will seek the Governor’s intervention in ordering re-post mortem,” he said.

Support prices

Mr. Kodandaram said the JAC had urged the Government to enhance the support prices for chilli, red gram and other crops as the prices offered were not remunerative. In respect of chilli, the Government should ensure payment of ? 12,000 instead of ?7,000 being paid at present and it could seek the support of the Central Government in this regard.

On the organisation side, the JAC had decided to constitute mandal level committees by April 22 which would be followed by constitution of village level committees next month.

It was decided to conduct training classes for members at different levels to educate them about the objectives of the JAC. so that it could raise public issues more actively.