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Hans India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Allocation of own captive mines serves as sole solution for VSP
Visakhapatnam: Even as the resumption of the Blast Furnace-III of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) is commendable, Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Porata Committee (VUPPC) members underlined that the real solution for the plant lies in allocating captive mines to it. Emphasising that the Central government should work on it at a media conference held in Visakhapatnam on Saturday, the committee's chairman Ch. Narasinga Rao stated that the VUPPC representatives demand that the plant be merged with the SAIL. 'It is apparent that the Central government is deliberately not providing captive mines and pushing the plant into losses. Due to lack of own mines, VSP has to spend an additional Rs 4,000 crore every year,' he expressed concern. Reiterating that the Central government decided to handover the operation and maintenance of production departments of the VSP to private companies, VUPPC chairman D Adi Narayana said, tenders have been invited from interested contractors by 12th July to handover the operation and maintenance work of two important departments of the plant-- the sinter plant and the raw material handling plant (RMHP) to private contractors. 'Likewise, the rest of the departments too will go through a similar fate. Permanent workers, contract workers and officers working now will not have any say in the production. The new contractors will hire their own men. The contractors will run the VSP for their own profits. We strongly condemn this policy of handing over all production units to contractors,' said D Adi Narayana. As the Central government decided to sell 100 percent of the VSP, the relay hunger strike at Kurmannapalem continued for the past 1,583 days. However, the relay hunger strike camp could not be continued as the camp collapsed on June 12 due to rain and the police have been preventing the hunger strike from taking place at the camp, suppressing thousands of contract workers' indefinite strike, VUPPC representatives V Srinivasa Rao and N. Ramachandra Rao lamented, demanding the state government to grant permission for the relay hunger strike camp. Expressing concern over the dismissal of about 5,000 contract workers in the past three months without giving any prior notice or compensation to them, the VUPPC representatives pointed out that permanent employees and officers with experience and skills are being forcibly asked to opt for VRS. The central government is trying to run the plant engaging contractors from other states, depriving locals of employment, they criticised.
Hans India
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Union leaders condemn high handed behaviour of police
Visakhapatnam: Visakhapatnam Steel Plant CITU honorary president J Ayodhya Ramu condemned attitude of the police for denying permission to organise a protest under the aegis of Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Porata Committee (VUPPC) and taking over the entire hunger strike camp under their control. Opposing the attitude of the city police here on Monday, the trade union leaders and employees continued their protest by sitting on the ground. Speaking on the occasion, Ayodhya Ramu warned that it was inappropriate to try to suppress the peaceful protests with the support of the police. He demanded that the pending salaries to the tune of Rs 300 crore of the workers should be paid immediately and full salaries should be paid on the first of every month. Union general secretary U Rama Swamy stated that while terminating the workers, the management and NDA government were spreading misinformation that there were more workers than required in the plant. The trade union leaders demanded that the removed workers should be reinstated with immediate effect. Chairman of the VUPPC D Adinarayana made it clear that as trade union they have long history in fighting for the rights of the people and workers. He warned that this is not appropriate for the government to seize the relay hunger strike camp this way. INTUC president Ramana Murthy demanded that the pending salaries of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant workers should be paid. 78th ward corporator Dr B Ganga Rao pointed out that the government has not withdrawn the decision to sell the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and he explained that there is a conspiracy to reduce the number of workers, reduce the debts of the plant before handing it over to a private company. Protest programmes were held in all district centres across the state as per the call given by the VUPPC, demanding that the problems of the steel plant workers should be resolved at the earliest and the illegally removed contract workers be reinstated. Contract Labour Union general secretary Nammi Ramana, CITU district president K M Srinivas, CITU president Y T Das, Steel CITU leader T V Krishnam Raju spoke onthe occasion.
