The Central government had made the next move to sell the assets of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plan, which was already proposed for privatisation. Though there has been stiff opposition for the privatisation plan of the Central government, it appears that the Union government is firm on its move to disinvest in the steel plant.

As part of the plan, the government had proposed to sell houses spread over 25 acres of the land in the steel plant. The plan included the sale of 588 housing quarters and 84 individual houses. The administrative division of the steel plant had issued a notice seeking expression of interest (EoI) for these houses in 25 acres of land.

The sale included 588 houses located in H B Colony in Visakhapatnam spread over 22.9 acres. Similarly, another 76 houses spread over 2 acres in Autonagar area, which also belonged to the steel plant. Another 8 houses spread over 434.75 square yards in the Pedagantyada area.

The steel plant proposed that the buyers can purchase all properties as a unit or can give EoI for individual properties as per the area.

The employees of the steel plant have been on protest opposing the privatisation plans of the Central government. Some trade unions and the general public have extended support to the employees. The opposition parties, including the TDP have also opposed the privatisation plan. Local TDP MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao had even sent his resignation letter to the Assembly speaker in support of the protesting employees.

The state government too had sent alternative plans to strengthen the steel plant. Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi giving three alternatives to protect the steel plant. However, it is said that the state government did not make any other moves or pursue the issue to stop the privatisation of the steel plant.

The steel plant has great history and it was established following a mass movement in the combined Andhra Pradesh. Protests were held across the state seeking a steel plant in Visakhapatnam and 32 persons have laid their lives for the steel plant.

The steel plant is considered the pride of Andhra Pradesh and it is all set to go into private hands, despite people holding protests.

The Central government has taken a backward step in its plans to privatise the prestigious Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. As the protests are being held in Visakhapatnam for the past two years against privatisation, Union Minister of state for steel, Faggan Singh Kulaste, made quite interesting and contradicting comments.

The Minister was in Visakhapatnam on Thursday to participate in the Rozgar Mela at Kalavani Auditorium. The Minister said that the Centre had not taken steps to privatise the steel plant. “There is no plan to privatise the steel plant immediately. We are not thinking on those lines right now,” the Minister said.

He further said that the Central government was now working to strengthen the Rastriya Isptat Nigam Limited (RINL), which owns the steel plant. He also announced that the government is opening some new divisions in the steel plant. He also said that the government was working on increasing the supply of coal and other raw material for the steel plant.

The Minister also said that the government was working on increasing the production capacity of the plant. The government would hold talks with the plant management, trade unions and other stakeholders shortly, the minister said.

The Minister came down heavily on Telangana’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi for its claims on participating in the bids for the steel plant. He said that the bids were invited for expression of interest to strengthen the financial position of the steel plant.

The Minister said that the BRS and its chief KCR were playing politics with the steel plant. He told the media persons that the government would work hard to strengthen the steel plant and not to privatise at this point of time.

On Saturday, the agitation against the move to privatise the Vizag Steel Plant completes one year. To mark the occasion, the employees have decided to organise Jail Bharo on Sunday. In addition, they are planning to hold a protest carrying 365 flags. A move to collect one crore signatues is also being planned.

The agitation has largely been political and the leaders have kept the politicians and political parties at arms’ length from the protests. The employees and the civil society organisations, which have launched the agitation, have also criticised the political parties of adopting double standards. Despite this, the political parties are supporting the agitation. Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan, former Joint Director of the CBI VV Lakshminarayana and several others extended their support to the agitation.

The Vizag Steel Plant was set up due to the massive agitations in the 1960s by the people of Andhra Pradesh. A youth, identified as Amrutha Rao has fasted for the VSP in Vizag and as many as 32 persons lost their lives in the police firing on the protesters. This emotional connect of the people is mainly driving the protests against privatisation.

The Central Government is planning to sell off the VSP to the Posco company. The employees allege that the Posco was eyeing the 8000 acres of land in the possession of the VSP. The plant has 17500 employees and an equal number of people are benefited indirectly. The project is producing 7.1 million tonnes of steel annually.

As the protest against the central government’s move to divest its stake in the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant entered the 250th day on Tuesday, the plant protection committee representatives and trade union leaders embarked on a 25-hour hunger strike.

Around 250 persons gathered at the plant’s Kummanapalem Gate around 8 a.m. to participate in the strike. The move is aimed at communicating the employees’ sentiments to the union government.

The Centre’s move has been opposed by employees as well as political parties in the state. The state government had passed a resolution opposing it in the Assembly.

The anti-privatisation protest by employees and trade unions was launched in February, and has been continuing ever since. Representatives of the steel plant protection committee have stated that they will continue the agitation till the government withdraws the privatisation plans.

With the Centre virtually ruling out any relook at the decision to privatise the Vizag Steel Plant (VSP), opponents of the move now took their protests to the heart of the national capital.

On Monday, a large number of VSP employees, workers, and representatives of trade unions protested at the Jantar Mantar.

“We have been protesting since many days but the Central government has become obstinate… even filing affidavits in the court, hinting that it will not go back,” said a protester at Jantar Mantar.

He said thousands of people are dependent on the steel plant which the Centre is planning to sell.

Protesters vowed that they will not let the Centre sell the VSP and will take support from all sections of people.

Coming to Delhi from the Andhra Pradesh port city, Visakhapatnam Deputy Mayor Jiyyani Sridhar noted that nearly 30 people sacrificed their lives for achieving the steel plant.

He said the state’s ruling YSRCP is striving to save the steel plant.

“After today’s protest at Jantar Mantar, we will demonstrate in front of Andhra Bhavan on Tuesday. YSRCP will fight hard in support of all these people for the steel plant,” he said.

A representative from the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) said they want to safeguard all the public sector units.

“We want to safeguard all PSUs in national interest. We think by privatising all national assets, the government is trying to take regressive steps which will be harmful for the sovereign and self-reliant economy of our country,” she said.

The AITUC representative demanded the government to rollback its privatisation plan and save the VSP, which is the pride of the Telugu people.

She said the central trade unions are extending their support for the cause of the steel plant.

“I extend support to this cause which is so dear not only to Andhra people but it is dear to the national working class,” she added.

YSRCP Rajya Sabha member V. Vijayasai Reddy said all the MPs from the state’s ruling party joined the protesters in Delhi, holding up placards protesting the steel plant sale.

“I assured that we will participate in any protest they take up to save the steel plant,” he said.

The YSRCP leader reiterated that their leader and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is completely against the privatisation plan.

Agitations and protest movements for stalling central government’s decision to sell Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) have entered 150th on Saturday in the city.

These protests at the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) have also reached 100 days.

On Saturday, several steel plant employees and hundreds of protesters took up a 30-km two-wheeler rally to send across a message to the central government to call off the privatization plan.

The rally is traversing through Kurmannapalem, Vadlamudi, Gajuwaka and other places.

“The central government has ignored the two letters written by the chief minister, including the state government’s requests and a resolution by the Assembly,” said a protester taking part in the rally.

Another agitator declared that the protests will not stop until the steel plant is continued in the public sector.

“Visakhapatnam is the birthplace of protest movements and we are ready to bend the necks of the central government,” he warned.

Similarly, another protester criticized that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is following privatization policies and resorting to selling away several government companies.

Admonishing the PM to take back his privatization plans, he reminded that many farmers sacrificed their land for the steel plant.

Hundreds of protesters rode their motorcycles as part of the protest rally in the port city.