The Andhra Pradesh government has unveiled plans to privatise civic infrastructure works in urban local bodies.
The workers and their unions are agitated over the proposal of the government to amend the Municipal Act so as to hand over the civic works, including sanitation and provision of drinking water, to the proposed Urban Infrastructure Management Company. The government proposes to empower this Company to recover the entire cost by imposing heavy taxes on the people.
This move of the Andhra Pradesh government is thoroughly anti people. It is the responsibility of the state to ensure to provide civic amenities for all people, including sanitation and drinking water. It is the imperialists and the Indian big bourgeoisie who are pushing the anti social agenda of privatizing even civic services. They want to turn every arena into a profit making arena, at the cost of the well being of the people. This includes education, health care, public transport, electricity, sanitation, drinking water, etc.
In order to mould public opinion in favour of privatization of civic services, the Andhra Pradesh government has been deliberately letting the towns and cities accumulate filth. It has refused to hire sanitation workers to fill vacancies.
The working class and their organizations cannot accept this anti worker and anti social agenda of privatization of social services. They must expose and oppose this agenda and fight for the state to fulfil its responsibility of ensuring that human rights of all are guaranteed. This includes food, clothing and shelter, education, health care, sanitation, drinking water, electricity and transport.