Vijayawada: Police foil student stir over Vizag steel plant

Vijayawada : Activists of some students’ organisations clashed with Vijayawada police when they were stopped from staging protest near the SRR and CVR Government College in Machavaram here on Wednesday against the privatisation of the Vizag steel plant. Scores of activists of SFI, AISF, PDSU, DYFI, AIYF and other organisations took part in the protest and demanded the Central government to withdraw the proposal of the privatisation of VSP.

The police arrested the leaders and took them to Machavaram police station.

Speaking on the occasion, SFI state general secretary A Ashok condemned the proposal of privatisation of Vizag steel plant and said that youth are already suffering due to unemployment problems in the country. He said it is correct to privatise the public sector undertakings and demanded the State and Central governments to set up a steel plant in Kadapa and fulfil the assurances given in the AP State Reorganisation Act. The Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has assured to fill posts lying vacant in the government departments which might solve the unemployment problem during previous election, but ignored after assuming the charge, Ashok said.

SFI state president K Prasanna Kumar was house arrested on Tuesday night in view of the announcement made by the students unions and youth organisations on the proposed protest in Vijayawada city. SFI state committee member M Someswara Rao condemned the arrest of activists. The arrested leaders and activists were later released.