Jobs sought for the displaced

Public hearing on expansion of RINL passes off peacefully

Feeling the pulse: Collector Pravin Kumar speaking at a public hearing held at Ukkunagaram in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.

Public hearing conducted by AP Pollution Control Board on expansion and augmentation of facilities of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited passed off peacefully on Thursday with many demanding jobs to those belonging to displaced families, increase in green cover and stringent measures to reduce pollution.

Collector Pravin Kumar, who was present at the public hearing held at Trishna Grounds, Ukkunagaram, said he would submit a report to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change based on the minutes noted down at the meeting for necessary action.

Tight security

The hearing was held amid tight security for expanding capacity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant from 6.3 to 7.3 million tonnes and augmentation of various facilities with total investment of ₹9,440 crore.

Half of the heavily barricaded venue was empty with the union activists expressing their ire at fixing of 60-month deadline for completing modernisation of blast furnaces and other facilities to enhance capacity by one million at a cost of ₹4,000 crore. The capacity augmentation envisages revamping of rebar mill by spending ₹431 crore, building a new coke oven battery at a cost of ₹2,858 crore, modernising continuous casting department costing ₹633 crore and coke oven battery-I at a cost of ₹945 crore.

Stating that they had conducted EIA by Bhagawati Labs, Visweswara Rao, an official of RINL said they would opt for fifth turbo blower for the captive power plant at a cost of ₹280 crore. Kanithi Balancing Reservoir-2 will be built at a cost of ₹466 crore. Improving electro static precipitator will involve an investment of ₹100 crore.

He said the expansion and augmentation of facilities would not involve land acquisition and were mainly meant to reduce pollution further.

While stating that they were not opposed to expansion at any point of time, CITU State president Ch. Narsinga Rao regretted lack of publicity for the public hearing to prevent many from attending it.

He said envisaging expansion of capacity by one million tonne in 60 months was ridiculous. He said jobs promised to families displaced at the time of establishment of VSP had not been provided proper rehabilitation measures and sought preference to them in recruitments for next phase of expansion.

Visakha Steel Employees’ Congress general secretary Mantri Rajasekhar said green belt should be raised all around the Aganampudi, Pedagantyada and other rehabilitation colonies and concrete steps to reduce pollution.

AITUC leader G. Somanna, CPI(M) city secretary M. Ganga Rao, CITU leader J. Ayodhyaram, INTUC district general secretary Neerukonda Ramachandra Rao and others spoke.