Mangaluru : Members of CPM Mangaluru Nagara Dakshina Samithi staged a protest, urging the government to take up development works including basic facilities, in front of the DC office in Mangaluru on Thursday.

Addressing the protesters, CPM leader K R Sriyan said that the CPM had written to chief minister seeking answers for 19 burning issues in the State. However, the chief minister has failed to answer.

“Several farmers have committed suicide in the State. There has been an increase in the cases of attack on minorities and Dalits. However, the State government has failed to protect the interest of the people of the state,” he accused.

“The government has failed to provide sites for the poor. The government has failed to provide uninterrupted power supply in the state. The posts are lying vacant in all the government departments. However, the State government has failed to make an effort to fill them. The educated youth have remained unemployed,” he accused.

Speaking on Yettinahole , he said that the project will not affect Dakshina Kannada district. But check dams should be constructed to mitigate the crisis of drinking water during summer which in turn would help increase the ground water-level.

CPM Leader Sunil Kumar Bajal said, though the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act 2014 has come into effect across the country, no measures have been taken to provide alternative place for the street vendors in Dakshina Kannada district. “ID cards have not been distributed to all the street vendors in the district,” he accused.

Bajal complained that the Centre has cut the grant given for anganwadi mid-day meals by 33 per cent.

He also urged the government to take measures to complete the ongoing works of four-laning of the national highway in Dakshina Kannada district and the work on four-laning of Mangaluru-Moodbidri-Karkala road should be taken up at the earliest and an overbridge should be constructed at KPT, Pumpwell and Nanthoor, to facilitate the movement of vehicles and reduce traffic congestion.