Centre will change plan seeing VSP success: Staff hoping against hope

VISAKHAPATNAM: Enthused by the resurgence of the Vizag Steel Plant, which registered a record performance in the last four months, the VSP unions under the Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Porara Committee are hopeful of achieving their mission to protect the steel plant from privatisation. Now, they are of the view that the recent performance of the plant will put the brakes on the government’s decision to privatise the plant.

Speaking to TNIE, steel plant recognised union president and convener of the parirakshana committee J Ayodhya Ram said the plant has achieved Rs 6 crore net profit per day for the last 120 days and this speaks volumes of the employees’ performance levels. The company will  do wonders if the plant is allotted a captive iron ore mine. And if the bank interest rates are lowered, the company will achieve at least `10 crore profit per day, taking the total profit to Rs 3,500 crore in a year. 

However, industry sources said it is too early to say that the Centre will change its decision on RINL. They said the Centre was going for disinvestment of PSUs as per a policy decision.  “The chances of the Centre making a case to case study are less. Since  steel is  a cyclic market, the profit and loss situation changes periodically depending on market demand,” said an industry expert. 

Ayodhya Ram said they were getting more support from people for the agitation. A ‘beach walk’ will be organised from NTR statue to YSR statue on  the Beach Road on Sunday.  The walk was being organised as a rehearsal for the proposed mega rally to be addressed by Delhi farmer leader Tikait. The April 18 rally will give a new dimension to the agitation against the privatisation, he said. 

Parirakshana committee chairman and INTUC leader Mantri Rajasekhar said the employees and people of the state will oppose the VSP privatisation tooth and nail. “We are gearing up for the bigger agitation and Sunday’s beach walk will be in that direction,” he said.