Oppose makes an attempt to privatise Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, former MLC urges individuals

Former MLC and Jan Vignana Vedika State president Okay.S. Lakshmana Rao on Tuesday urged individuals to withstand the makes an attempt to privatise Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) and hand over the plant piece by piece to personal companies.

Speaking at a roundtable organised by individuals’s organisations underneath the management of Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Porata Committee (Visakha Steel Plant Protection Struggle Committee) in Vijayawada, Mr. Lakshman Rao demanded cancellation of EOI (Expressions of Interest) issued for privatisation and urged the Andhra Pradesh authorities to mount stress on the Centre.

Farmer chief V. Keshava Rao pledged farmers’ assist to the employees’ wrestle.

CITU state secretary Ch. Narasinga Rao alleged that the BJP-led Central authorities was accelerating privatisation with the assist of the coalition authorities within the State. He criticised that the ₹11,440 crores allotted for the plant’s revival have been diverted to repay financial institution loans as a substitute of manufacturing, improvement, or staff’ welfare.

Condemning ‘forcible’ elimination of 5,000 contract staff on the plant, he demanded their reinstatement and in addition demanded jobs for displaced households who gave land for the plant.

AITUC President R. Ravindranath accused the Centre of “Pushing privatisation, whereas the State authorities continued to mislead individuals saying there have been no privatisation plans. He introduced a statewide bus yatra to mobilise public resistance.

INTUC Secretary Kranti Kumar demanded speedy allocation of captive iron ore mines to VSP, as a substitute of favouring Mittal Industries.

The assembly, chaired by the wrestle committee Chairman D. Adinarayana handed a decision to proceed protests till privatisation is withdrawn, allocation of captive mines to VSP are secured, EoI bids cancelled, dismissed contract staff reinstated and assaults on workers stopped.

The leaders additionally determined to induce the TDP-led coalition authorities within the State to construct stress on the Central authorities to drop its privatisation transfer and launch large protests throughout the State.

Leaders from commerce unions, farmers’ associations, girls’s teams, pupil and youth organisations participated within the roundtable.