Vizag Steel Plant employees call for city bandh on 28 March

The Vizag Steel Plant recognised Union (CITU) has asked the concerned people to resist the privatisation and plans to hold a city-wide bandh on 28 March 2022. The Union members of the Steel Plant requested the participants to protest with unity while addressing a gathering here in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.

Following the spree of Bhartiya Janata Party’s (BJP) privatisation process of public sector industries, the total disinvestment in the Vizag Steel Plant was not welcomed by the employees and workers. Speaking against the Central Government’s decision, the committee expressed their frustration that the money-generating establishment of the country was being handed over to the private players.

The President of the Union, Ayodhya Ram says, “It has been 392 days as of today since we started our protest against this privatisation. The support has been tremendous. All the local MLAs and leaders have given us full support. The present ruling party YCP along with others like Jana Sena, CPI(M), TDP have extended their support personally. We strongly stand against this privatisation and our protest is going to continue.”

The Union President also added that this establishment has been built over the struggle of many eminent people and has been generating good income for the Central Government. With approximately Rs 28,000 crores turnover this year, they don’t seem to understand why the Central Government wants to privatise the Steel Plant. With just an initial capital of 5000 crores from the Central Government, the Steel plant has grown multifold.

With 7 MPs and over 60 MLAs resigning from their posts to support this movement, the Union strongly believes that the public entity should not be privatised. ” The Steel Plant has assets worth 2.5 lakhs, which belongs to the public. In such circumstances, why should this property be sold off to some private company who will take away the country’s assets?” asks the frustrated President.

The Recognised Union of the Vizag Steel Plant has been conducting various protests and SMS activities against privatisation, they plan to hold a city-wide bandh on 28 March 2022 upon receiving permissions, and stage a protest on 29 March 2022.