Make ADB loan agreement public: UDF

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 15 (UNI) The Congress-led Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) today urged the state government to make public, the agreement it had signed with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for urban development in the context of differences between the Chief Minister and some of the constituents of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF).

UDF Convener P P Thankachan told a news conference here that the people had every right to know details of the agreement as it relates to a loan of Rs 1,400 crore for sustainable urban development to be implemented by five municipal corporations in the state.

He said the Chief Minister himself had stated that the agreement was not discussed in the Cabinet and it was signed without his knowledge. Besides, some of the LDF partners had also expressed serious misapprehensions about it.

Mr Thankachan also condemned both the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and the Students Federation of India's (SFI) move to take out marches to courts to protest against the invalidation of some key provisions of the Kerala Self-financing Professional Colleges Act.

Describing the move as ''dangerous and anti-democratic,'' he urged the state government and the CPI(M) leadership to discourage such tendencies.

Mr Thankachan said the UDF would launch a series of agitation beginning with a dharna before the state Secretariat tomorrow to protest against price-rise, deteriorating law and order situation and the government's ''failure'' to solve the crisis in the farm sector.

Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy would inaugurate the dharna which would also be addressed by leaders of the UDF constituents.

He alleged that the state government's failure in effective market intervention was the main reason for the price-rise.

Instead of taking necessary steps in this regard, the state was trying to put the entire blame on the Centre, he alleged.

UNI