Latest news with #NarasingaRao
The Hindu
14 hours ago
- Business
- The Hindu
CITU leader dares Palla to prove ‘VSP ghost workers' allegations
Taking a strong exception to the remarks made by TDP State president Palla Srinivasa Rao on the issues related to privatisation of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), CITU State general secretary Ch. Narasinga Rao has accused the TDP-led alliance government in Andhra Pradesh of 'supporting the Centre's decision on strategic sale of the PSU'. A notification was issued on August 16 calling for bids for Expression of Interest (EOI) for the operation and maintenance of 34 wings of the VSP. Prospective bidders were asked to apply by September 9. On Tuesday, Mr. Srinivasa Rao reiterated that the NDA government was committed to protecting the VSP. However, he said that some harsh decisions were inevitable for the continuation of the VSP as a PSU, including privatisation of some sections of the plant to improve productivity and reduce costs. Referring to it, Mr. Narasinga Rao condemned the TDP State president for 'justifying the firing of workers on the plea of improving efficiency'. 'The VSP has some of the best workers in the country and the quality of Vizag steel continues to be impeccable. Concealing these facts, ground has been prepared for handing over the VSP to Arcelor Mittal,' he alleged. He alleged that the Centre had unilaterally terminated the services of 5,000 contract workers, 'with the support of the TDP and JSP'. Highly qualified officers and workers were shown the door, in two phases, under the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS), he said. He dared Mr. Srinivasa Rao to prove his allegations related to 'ghost workers' and the involvement of trade union leaders in corrupt practices. Disputing the claims made by the TDP State president, Mr. Narasinga Rao said that the three Blast Furnaces were working during the YSRCP's tenure. 'The Centre had deliberately shut down two blast furnaces in 2021 and pushed the plant into losses of ₹7 crore as part of its plan for the strategic sale. While VSP, which has an annual production capacity of 50 lakh tonnes, was given a loan of ₹11,440 crore, while the Bhadravathi Steel Plant in Karnataka, with a production capacity of 50,000 tonnes, was given a grant of ₹18,000 crore,' he said. The Centre had bowed to pressure from the party which had just two MPs and gave ₹18,000 crore. He wondered as to what the 23 MPs from A.P. had done for the VSP. CITU district general secretary RKSV Kumar, Public Sector Coordination Committee convener S. Jyothiswara Rao and Steel Plant Employees Union general secretary U. Ramaswamy were present.
The Hindu
03-07-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
CITU blames lack of safety audits for recurrent accidents at pharma units
Expressing concern over the death of 40 people in the reactor blast at a pharma company near Hyderabad, CITU State general secretary Ch. Narasinga Rao has blamed callousness by factory managements and lack of safety audits for the recurring accidents in pharma companies. Mr. Narasinga Rao, while addressing the media on Wednesday, recalled the accident occurred at Escientia Pharma in Atchutapuram near Visakhapatnam last year, which claimed 17 lives. 'During the last one year, 32 persons have lost their lives in 11 accidents at pharma units in Anakapalli district,' he said. The gas leak from the LG Polymers plant in Visakhapatnam in the past had claimed 15 lives. He alleged that the negligence of the management was responsible for those accidents. 'However, neither the Centre nor the State had punished the erring management. On the contrary, LG Polymers was given the red carpet to set up its plant in Sri City of Tirupati district. Though pharma companies are in the red category list, the mandatory inspections were ignored on the pretext of Ease of Doing Business (EODB) and Speed of Doing Business (SODB),' Mr. Narasinga Rao said. He alleged that inspections were not being conducted by the officials concerned even after complaints related to violations of laws were lodged. 'Inspections are being done only after approval from Delhi,' he said and sought to know why AI could not be utilised to prevent industrial accidents. He alleged that the use of outdated equipment and the reuse of recovered solvents were the main causes for reactor blasts. 'The governments are washing their hands off after payment of ex gratia. A super speciality hospital with a burns unit should be available close to pharma industries. The Burns Unit, which was available in Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), was closed,' he pointed out. He said that it was unfortunate that the governments, which were evincing keen interest in the establishment of pharma companies, were not bothered about the safety of workers. The lack of rest, enrolment of unskilled workers, in areas which require high proficiency, were the other causes contributing to accidents. CITU district president KM Srinivas, and Pharma City Staff and Workers Union president Ganisetty Satyanarayana were present.
