A tense situation prevailed on the National Highway at Kurmannapalem and at Maddilapalem junction on Friday as rasta rokos were organised, under the aegis of Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Committee, as part of the agitation demanding that the Centre should take back its decision on privatisation of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP).
Hundreds of people including steel plant workers, trade union leaders, representatives of various parties gathered at the Steel Plant gate on the National Highway, near Kurmannapalem, raising slogans ‘ Visakha Ukku – Andhrula Hakku ’ resulting in traffic coming to a standstill on either side of the Highway for about two hours. There was a scuffle as the police took into custody some of the leaders.
CPI-M State secretariat member Ch. Narasinga Rao said that the Parirakshana Committee has decided to organise ‘Visakha bandh’ on March 5 to exert pressure on the Centre to withdraw its decision.
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He appealed to the Modi government not to go ahead with the proposal. He also appealed to prospective bidders not to file tenders, failing which they would not be allowed to come into Visakhapatnam. CPI State assistant secretary J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy alleged that the Modi government, which had promised to provide jobs to youth was rendering them jobless by privatising the public sector.