Naidu’s assurance boosts morale of VSP unions

Visakhapatnam: There is a need to bring Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) which is considered the sentiment of Andhra people back onto a profitable track. Focus will be kept on it as efforts will be made to adopt best practices. Already, discussions were on with Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union steel minister HD Kumaraswamy and the Centre is releasing a portion of funds to operate the plant.

These were recent comments made by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu regarding Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. Even as assurances were given by the TDP ministers, MLAs, BJP leaders and public representatives of the Jana Sena Party, the response of Chief Minister on the VSP comes as a much required respite to employees of the plant and trade unions.

After the closure of the two blast furnaces, the trade unions and employees were a worried lot as they mentioned that the plant is on ventilator. “If such a situation continues for a little long, it would become highly difficult for the management to provide salaries to its employees and contract workers,” opined D Adinarayana, chairman of Visakha UkkuParirakshanaPorata Committee (VUPPC).

Currently, the plant requires Rs11,000 crore to operate in its full capacity. However, the Centre is likely to provide Rs3,000 crore to the plant. Referring to inadequate funds, VUPPC member Varasala Srinivasa Rao stated that the funds provided by the Centre at the moment would not even meet interest on the loans mobilised. In the meantime, the Opposition is criticising the alliance government as they opine that it is playing a double game. Apparently, around 100 plant executives were recently sent on deputation to the Nagarnar Steel Plant. This has only doubled the anxiety level among the VSP employees. Responding to it, the Chief Minister warned the Opposition not to provoke people unnecessarily on the pretext of ‘sentiment’.

“Earlier, during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s rule, the TDP saved the plant by getting additional funds. Now, the state government is very much committed to save the VSP by all means with the support of the Centre,” the Chief Minister reiterated in a recent media conference. Meanwhile, TDP state president and Gajuwaka MLA Palla Srinivasa Rao and Visakhapatnam MP M Sribharat assured the employees and trade unions that the Centre would extend support to the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant in the next two weeks.

Before the VSP slips into a bad condition, there is a dire need for the Centre to lend a helping hand so that the plant would limp back to normalcy.