UDF calls for hartal to protest against Govt's laxity

Thiruvananthapuram, July 14 (UNI) The Congress-led Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) has called for a dawn-to-dusk hartal on July 17 to protest against the state government's ''inactiveness'' in taking preventive measures to contain outbreak of the dreaded viral fever in the state.

Talking to reporters here today, UDF Convener P P Thankachan said the Front's liaison Committee, which met here, observed that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government had totally failed to tackle the disease and there was no other way to express the people's resentment in this regard.

However, Pathanamthitta district would be exempted from the hartal as it had observed a hartal yesterday on the same issue, he said.

Alleging that even two months after the outbreak of chikungunya the government could not ascertain the reason for the dreaded disease, he said the people were in panic as the viral fever had spread in all the districts, particularly in the hilly areas.

Though the Centre had warned about the epidemic in February itself, the government neglected it and even did not take preventive measures, he charged.

Mr Thankachan also demanded that the government should provide free ration, medicine and appoint sufficient doctors in the worst-hit areas.

Criticising the Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss' statement that the Kerala government had taken effective measures to check the viral-fever, he said the Minister made such remarks without realising the facts and its seriousness.

The Minister should withdraw his statements in this regard, he said and added that the UDF had conveyed its resentment on his statement to him.

UNI