Town rallies behind Cong MLA on fast

The bandh call by Congress MLA Paresh Dhanani over demand for special package for flood-hit victims of Amreli, received complete support from local residents and businessmen on Tuesday.

The entire Amreli town remained closed as shopowners and traders downed their shutters in support of the bandh call given by Congress MLA Paresh Dhanani who is on fast unto death since last one week.

“People have joined the bandh call voluntarily and none of the shopkeepers, schools, or colleges opened on Tuesday. Everybody came out in support of our demand for special package for the district,” said Sharad Dhanani, younger brother of the Congress leader Paresh.

The Amreli MLA’s agitation entered eighth day on Tuesday even as doctors continued to administer glucose to the Congress leader whose health started deteriorating from Monday. Over 55 people had died in the flash floods in Amreli district in last week of June. Thousands of farms were washed off due to flooding in rivers. Large number of cattle and wild animals including 11 lions were killed during the flash floods which were one of the worst in 90 years.

Dhanani told his supporters that people of the district have lost all their belongings and will never be able to get back to normal as their farms and livestock too were washed away in the floods.

Main demands of the flood-hit farmers include, leveling of their farm lands, Rs 3 lakh compensation for each pucca house and Rs 1.5 lakh for kutcha houses damaged in floods. Dhanani also demanded Rs 2 lakh as compensation for flood victims and Rs 5 lakh interest free loan.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/Town-rallies-behind-Cong-MLA-on-fast/articleshow/48079525.cms