Hyderabad: Call all-party meet on Covid-19, demand Opposition parties

Hyderabad: All opposition parties on Wednesday demanded that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao call for all-party meeting to discuss the coronavirus and lockdown situation in the State.

Led by TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, leaders of different Opposition parties met at Exhibition Society Office, Nampally and discussed the current situation in the State. Telangana TDP president L Ramana, TJS president Prof M Kodandaram, CPI State Secretary Chada Venkat Reddy and other leaders attended the meeting. They discussed various issues, especially the problems being faced by the poor people, middle class, workers of unorganised sectors, migrant workers, etc. They prepared a long list of demands and gave several suggestions to the government.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the coronavirus caused vast devastation across the world and its implications could be more serious than the damage caused during first and second the World War. Uttam said that though the Chief Minister had on March 23 announced that free 12-kg rice per person and Rs 1500 per family would be given to White Ration Card holders it was not reaching all the beneficiaries even after 24 days.

He blamed the mismanagement by the Chief Minister for the current financial crisis in the State. Demanding that the State government release a White Paper on the State's economic situation, he said that the present crisis was the outcome of wrong policies of the TRS government for the last six years. He said that the State government should clarify on issuing bonds of Rs 1500 crore.

The TPCC chief demanded that the State government should focus on increasing the pace of testing of coronavirus suspects. He said that Telangana, with a population of nearly 4 crore has the capacity to test only 1,000 persons daily.

Earlier, Kodandaram said that the Opposition parties had been demanding that the State government should strengthen Area Hospitals and upgrade 104 and 108 Ambulance services.

Telangana TDP president L Ramana said that the daily-wagers, migrant workers and other sections are badly hit due to the lockdown and therefore, the State government should immediately come to their rescue.

CPI State secretary Chada Venkat Reddy said that the opposition parties have demanded that State government provide Rs 5,000 financial assistance for migrant workers.