Employees, people of Bhadravati seek revival of State’s oldest steel plant
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Steel Ministry has selected disinvestment of Visvesaraya Iron and Steel Plant which was arrange in 1923
Workers and former workers of Visvesaraya Iron and Steel Plant (VISP) plant at Bhadravati, in addition to the people of the economic city, have joined arms to battle for its revival.
A committee to look into this concern has come into existence underneath the management of S.N. Balakrishna, a former worker. Bhadravati MLA B.K. Sangameshwar is the honorary president. J. Jagadish, president of the labour union of the VISP, is the final secretary. Representatives of all main political events are concerned within the committee shaped to place stress on the State and Union governments to speculate cash to revive the plant, as a substitute of going for disinvestment.
The Ministry of Steel has selected disinvestment of the plant, a unit of Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL), and it has already obtained ‘Expression of Interest’ from bidders. Minister for Steel Dharmendra Pradhan had made a press release on this in Rajya Sabha on September 21 this yr. This growth has been opposed by the employees, former workers and people of the city.
The plant, arrange by the Wadiyars of Mysuru in 1923, as soon as had 13,000 workers. The manufacturing of sizzling steel (liquid iron) had reached as excessive as 2.2 lakh tonnes each year. The contribution of Mysore Paper Mills and the VISP in the direction of the economic system of Bhadravati is critical. However, in recent times the manufacturing has come down drastically, lowering the workforce as nicely.
At current, there are solely 278 common workers and of them 53 are within the govt posts. Besides them, 1,400 are on contract and so they get solely 13 days of work a month.
Mr. Jagadish instructed The Puucho that since January 2017 the manufacturing had come down. The steel-making store (SMS) and blast furnace part have been closed completely.
“The State government merged the plant with Steel Authority of India in 1989 with the objective of modernising the machinery and improvising the production. But, the purpose was never served as SAIL did not give due attention to the plant,” he mentioned.
In August 2015, then Minister for Steel Narendra Singh Tomar visited the plant and guaranteed ₹1,000 crore for its revival, offered the State authorities allotted a mine. The State authorities responded by allotting a mine to extract iron ore at Sandur in Ballari district. “Later, Chaudhari Birender Singh, who was Minister for Steel, visited the plant in March 2018 and gave a similar assurance. But nothing happened. Now the Centre has decided to hand it over to private people,” Mr. Jagadish mentioned.
Mr. Balakrishna, 80, mentioned: “Narendra Modi’s government has decided to sell all public sector units. Though I have been a BJP supporter for a long time, I cannot accept this. The lack of will among leaders representing the State government is the reason why they have failed to influence the Centre to get funds for its revival.”
The committee has determined to fulfill Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa with the demand quickly on this concern.
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