Shimla: In protest against the hike in petroleum products announced Communist Party of India (Marxists) has given a call for a ‘Dawn to Dusk – Hartal’ on 5th July to highlight the plight of the poor man.
Essential services like supply of water, milk, electricity, hospital and emergency services would not be disrupted, said Rakesh Singha, general secretary CPI(M). The protest was being organized to force the central government to withdraw the increase in petroleum product prices, he added.
The decision to decontrol petrol prices and eventually free diesel also has been taken at a time when the common man is battling 17 % inflation in food items, said Singha. A steep increase of Rs 3 per liter in kerosene and Rs 35 per gas cylinder has hit the workman and the housewife hard, he added.
He said the impact of the hike would be more profound in Himachal Pradesh which is totally dependent upon road transport for moving all kinds of goods within the state.
The party has asked people to avoid travelling on the hartal day so as to not be put to inconvenience and asked parents not to send children to school.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
