As both the TDP and Jana Sena are continuing their silence over the intense efforts of the Narendra Modi government to privatize Visakha Steel Plant, the center has been issuing multiple orders aiming at sabotage of the Steel Plant.
Though TDP MP Bharat from Visakha, TDP state president, Gajuwaka MLA Palla Srinivasa Rao and other MLAs of those parties are making daily statements that they will not allow privatization of the Plant, no sign of response is seen from the Center.
Even after union steel minister HD Kumaraswamy assured during his recent visit to the Plant that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will mind their concerns, recent acts are indicating that those illusions have been shattered.
Because on the one hand, out of the three blast furnaces in the steel plant, two of them have already been closed by taking a decision to continue production in only one. On the other hand, no movement with regard to more than one lakh tonnes of coal and raw materials are supposed to arrive at the plant from Gangavaram port.
On the other hand, the Center is sweeping conspiracies to reduce manpower with the steel management. Out of the 24,000 workers in the plant, 12,000 workers have already been retrenched. There has been no new recruitment for the last 10 years.
According to the orders received from Nagarnar Steel Plant (NSL) in Chhattisgarh to Vizag RINL on 15th of this month, while they need 500 manpower, they have given instructions to Steel Director Projects to send 100 people on deputation immediately between 23rd and 25th of this month. Due to this, the workers are getting very upset.
- Ayodhyaram and Ramaswamy, the leaders of Visakha Steel Protection Committee said that this is not an issue that will stop with 100 people, and expressed concern that the central BJP government has intensified the actions to close the entire plant. They demanded that the state government should wake up soon and put pressure on the Modi government to stop the conspiracies of taking away manpower.
Responding to a question of YCP Rajya Sabha member Golla Babu Rao on privatization move of the Steel Plant, the Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Choudhary said in a written reply that ‘Privatization has been decided through strategic disinvestment, and on January 27, 2021, the Enterprises (PSE) policy for Atmanirbhar Bharat has been notified and disinvestment will be done for sure’.