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Visakhapatnam Steel Plant displaced families demand either surplus lands or jobs
VSP displaced families to take out a rally 'Chalo Collector Office' on March 31
Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) displaced families demand the BJP-led NDA government either to provide placements in the plant or give back the surplus lands to them.
Visakhapatnam: Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) displaced families demand the BJP-led NDA government either to provide placements in the plant or give back the surplus lands to them.
Alleging that justice continues to be denied to them for decades, they now say that they will not be mute spectators if the Centre hands over the PSU to the private party.
From the day the Centre's decision on 100 per cent strategic sale of the VSP came to light, the VSP displaced families took to the streets to protest against the move in various forms, including relay hunger strike and rallies.
Along with rolling back the privatisation move, their list of demands include allotment of captive mines to the VSP to sail through the losses and offer employment to the R (rehabilitation)-card holders.
With the Centre paying no heed to their pleas, the displaced families now demand returning of the VSP's surplus land to them.
Of the 16,600 displaced families, only 8,500 were employed in VSP on both permanent and temporary basis. "We gave away our lands at a nominal price for the establishment of the steel plant. The lands should be used at least for its expansion purpose but certainly not to sell them off to the private sector. For decades, justice continues to elude us. The Centre has to provide us a solution before going ahead with its plans," asserts P Bhasakara Rao, president of Visakha Ukku Nirvasita Ikya Sangham.
Elaborating further, Dharmala Rami Reddy, an R-card holder, says, "It's a continuous fight for three generations until their death. Now, the fourth generation is battling for the promised jobs. In the process of privatisation, there is no job security even for the existing personnel of the RINL. How can we expect to be placed in the plant once its ownership shifts to a private player."
While their over 45-day-long fight stretches further, the displaced families intend to take out a rally 'Chalo Collector office' from Saraswathi junction to Collector office on March 31.
