Centre makes U-turn on Vizag Steel Plant, employees intensify protest

Visakhapatnam: In another U-turn on the disinvestment process of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL), the corporate entity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, the Centre on Friday said that the process is in progress.

A day after Union Minister of State for Steel Faggan Singh Kulaste said in Visakhapatnam that the Centre will not go ahead with the privatisation, the ministry of steel on Friday issued a statement that there is no freeze on the disinvestment process of RINL.

Clarifying about some media reports regarding hold on the disinvestment process of RINL, the Steel Ministry said that disinvestment process of the RINL is under progress and efforts are being made by the company and supported by the government to improve the performance of RINL and keep it as a going concern.

Kulaste had said in Visakhapatnam on Thursday that the Centre will focus on strengthening Vizag Steel Plant (VSP) rather than privatising it.

Meanwhile, protesting against the new U-turn, VSP employees took to the streets on Friday. They sat on a dharna on the national highway near Kurmannapalem crossroads and set afire the effigy of the Central government.

Police tried to detain the protestors but they resisted the attempt. This led to mild tension. The VSP employees have threatened to intensify their protest.

The employees, who have been protesting for more than two years, demanded that the Centre take back its disinvestment plan.

Employees said people of Andhra Pradesh made many sacrifices for the plant and they will not allow the sale of the plant.