The All party Trade Unions, People’s Organisations for Protection of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) and public sector units’ (PSUs) Joint Action Committee (JAC) have resolved to intensify the agitation against privatisation of the VSP at a roundtable meeting organised at the public library here on Monday.
The participants deplored the adamant attitude of the Centre in going ahead with its decision on strategic sale of the VSP though agitations were being held all over the State for the past 10 months against the decision. The JAC has been organising relay hunger strikes at the Gandhi statue for the past 200 days seeking reversal of the decision on privatisation of the VSP and a halt to privation of other PSUs in the country.
Signature campaign
The JAC also resolved to organise a campaign to collect one crore signatures and appealed to all sections of the people to participate in the campaign and express their resentment against the decision of the BJP government. The participants sought that all municipal corporations, municipalities, Zilla Parishads and Mandal Parishads adopt resolutions against the sale of the VSP and sought the cooperation of all political parties and people’s organisations in this regard.
They said that resolutions were already adopted in the State Assembly and the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) opposing the decision of the Centre. They wondered as to how the BJP government, which had failed to implement the assurances given to the State in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, could think of selling the lone heavy industry in the State. They alleged that the Centre has not allocated captive mines to the VSP with the objective of handing it over to corporate groups.
The meeting also resolved to organise a rally with students and youths from Mrs. AVN College to the Old Head Post Office Junction on November 1 and to conduct seminars in all districts of the State on the issue to sensitise people.
JAC chairman M. Jaggu Naidu presided over the meeting.
CITU State president Ch. Narasinga Rao, FDNA general secretary A. Aja Sarma, UFBU convener A. Sushma, Writer’s Academy chairman V.V. Ramana Murthy, VJF president Gantla Srinu Babu, INTUC general secretary Neerukonda Ramachandra Rao, CFTUI national president N. Kanaka Rao, PAV leader T. Kameswara Rao and CITU city president R.K.S.V. Kumar were among those who attended.
