Agitation against move to privatise Vizag steel plant completes 100 days

Employees, trade union leaders urge Centre to work on revival plan

May 22, 2021 11:00 pm | Updated 11:00 pm IST - VISAKHAPATNAM

Ever since the Union Government proposed 100% strategic sale of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), employees, members of various trade unions, and political parties stood against the decision and launched an agitation, which entered the 100th day on Saturday.

One significant development during the period was that the State government had passed a resolution during the Budget session of the Legislative Assembly opposing the Centre’s decision and asking it to think of alternative solutions to revive the steel plant.

The movement for the first shore-based integrated steel plant in Visakhapatnam had begun in 1963 and reached a feverish pitch in 1966 after 32 persons had been killed in police firing across the State, including 12 in Visakhapatnam. The agitation under the banner ‘Visakha Ukku - Andhrula Hakku’ reverberated across the nation.

In 1966, the State government had passed a resolution demanding the setting up of the plant in Visakhapatnam. Finally, in 1971, the foundation stone for the plant was laid by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

“Though the government has decided to privatise a number of PSUs, the case of the VSP is different, as it comes wrapped in emotions, sentiments, and history. That is why people across the nation are supporting our agitation,” said CITU State president Ch. Narasinga Rao.

As a symbolic protest, the employees and trade unions led by CITU unveiled a 100-foot banner, and protests were organised across all districts in the State, said Mr. Narasinga Rao.

Protests were also staged across all the 11 PSU steel plants and mines across the nation, said Mr. Ganga Rao of the CPI(M).

Members of the Steel Executives’ Association said the agitation would pick up in the days to come if the Union government did not shelve the idea of strategic sale.

They said that VSP had made profits earlier, and could easily be revived by making a few policy changes, such as allotting captive iron ore mines to it.

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