While the central and state governments are rushing to build a Mittal steel factory in the private sector, ignoring the future of Visakhapatnam steel, the fact that even MPs from North Andhra are meeting the Union Steel Minister and submitting a petition is leading to intense protests in this region.
The credit for resigning from their posts for Visakhapatnam steel goes to the former joint state MPs! Along with them, many public representatives walked the same path and chanted ‘Visakhapatnam steel…Andhra’s right’.
While workers have been fighting for years to protect Visakhapatnam steel, which has become a symbol of Andhra’s self-respect, the TDP alliance MPs have become a topic of discussion by meeting the Union Minister for the ArcelorMittal steel plant and ignoring the protection of Visakhapatnam steel.
A group of TDP MPs who met the Union Steel Minister on Thursday requested that mines be allocated from NMDC to the private ArcelorMittal, which is to be set up in Anakapalle district, very close to the Visakhapatnam steel factory, and that clearance be given for the slurry pipeline. Surprisingly, Visakhapatnam MP Sri Bharat is also part of this group of MPs.
However, it is noteworthy that the issue of allocating separate mines to Visakhapatnam steel, and even the issue of continuing it in the public sector, was not mentioned. With the latest development, there is an opinion that the TDP and Jana Sena hardly bother to keep up their election promise of protecting Visakha Steel.
Retired IAS officer EAS Sharma wonderedt that it is regrettable that a group of MPs from the state did not meet the Union Steel Minister to discuss the issue over Visakha Steel, while the workers and people of North Andhra are fighting for it. “It is not right to discuss the facilities specifically for ArcelorMittal. The people of North Andhra do not like their behavior”, he asserted.
“The port allotted to ArcelorMittal in Anakapalle district will already cause immense loss to the livelihood of traditional fishermen in the nearby coastal areas. Why are there so many obsessions with private companies?” he asked. He recalled that the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant has gone into debt by buying mines and raw materials at high prices in the private market. It would be a great benefit if its own mines were allotted, he added.
He said that the people here expected that the TDP and Janas Sena, who are partners in the NDA, would put pressure on the central government and work to protect the Visakhapatnam steel industry. He criticized the behavior of the coalition MPs in contrast. He demanded that a group of people’s representatives from this region immediately meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop the privatization of Visakhapatnam steel and allocate its own mines.