It took blood & sweat to set up Vizag steel

Visakhapatnam: The fears of the thousands of employees of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), which had a glorious past, have 'come true' with the BJP-led NDA government proposing to privatise the industry.

The move has come as a bolt from the blue for the employees, triggering unrest among them who took to streets to register their protest.

In a show of solidarity, trade unions, people's representatives and political parties in the district as well as the State joined hands in support of the agitated employees of the plant.

In the past, the 'Visakha Ukku Andhrula Hakku' movement had spread its tentacles across the combined Andhra Pradesh, and now, the protestors exhibited their might uniting together to put up a collective fight against the Centre's proposal to privatise the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) and approve 100 per cent strategic disinvestment of GoI shareholding in RINL.

When the move was made to establish a steel plant, the then Union government constituted an expert committee to identify a suitable site for the purpose. Apart from Visakhapatnam, the committee members had also suggested other places such as Salem and Neyveli, a township in Tamil Nadu, to set up the mega steel plant. However, the then government preferred the City of Destiny for setting up the plant.

The former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Sastry too favoured it and had directed the authorities concerned to go ahead with the decision. After his demise, Indira Gandhi succeeded him. It was then the demand to establish the steel plant in other States grew louder. With this, the Visakha Ukku Andhrula Hakku movement gained momentum.

Guntur-based T Amrutha Rao had launched a hunger strike right in front of the Collectorate in Visakhapatnam. The movement had gained further steam ever since, drawing people from across the united Andhra Pradesh. Led by the freedom fighter and the then MP Tenneti Viswanadham, the joint action committee had played a proactive role in the battle.

To suppress the State-wide movement that witnessed different protests like 'bandh', 'hartal', 'rasta roko' and hunger strikes, the government did not hesitate to order firing on protestors.

Meanwhile, to end the 20-day-long hunger strike taken up by Amrutha Rao, the then Chief Minister Kasu Brahmananda Reddy went to Delhi and appealed to Indira Gandhi to intervene. Based on her assurance, the hunger strike was called off by Amrutha Rao. However, by then, many had lost their lives in the protest.

Officially, 32 people from across the state, including 12 from Vizag, five each from Vijayawada and Guntur and two from Vizianagaram had died while fighting for the cause. This apart, 17 agitators were said to be injured in the police firing in Vijayawada. Also, 23 protestors were injured in the police firing in Mahbubnagar.

In addition, scores received injuries in the lathi-charge. After the prolonged struggle, 22,000 acres of land were acquired from 64 villages to set up the steel plant in Visakhapatnam. It took two decades to establish the plant in the City of Destiny. The plant that has a glorious past now employs 18,000 permanent staff, 21,000 outsource employees and another 60,000 are indirectly employed by the company.

With the Centre's proposal to privatise the plant, the future of all these employees is now at stake. Speaking to The Hans India, grandson of Amrutha Rao, who was the force behind Visakha Ukku Andhrula Hakku movement, T Mohan Gandhi says, "The establishment of steel plant is a result of many sacrifices, including my beloved grandfather Amrutha Rao.

We will not remain a mute spectator and watch the Centre handing over the VSP to the private player. On February 14, BJP State president Somu Veerraju said that he would take the issue forward to the Centre to reconsider its proposal. Based on that, we will take a stand on the next course of action."