A ‘Prabhata bheri’ protest was oganised by VARWA and Nivas, seeking protection of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) and other public sector industries on Wednesday.
The participants took out the rally from HB Colony to the Maddilapalem bus complex and back via Dr. VS Krishna Government College.
Dr. P. Rama Rao, a retired DM & HO, who inaugurated the rally, said that PSUs like Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), Visakhapatnam Port Trust, Hindustan Shipyard Limited, HPCL, LIC and public banks have created tremendous job opportunities and paved the way for development of ancillary industries and businesses. Selling of PSUs and their lands in the city would result in a crisis, he said.
Thousands of acres of precious land was given by the surrounding farmers and many lives were sacrificed for the establishment of the steel plant, which is why it should never be sold to private firms, he said.
The protesters raised slogans condemning the privatisation proposal and demanded captive mines for the steel plant. VARWA general secretary B.B. Ganesh, AITUC city president P. Ramana, CITU secretary V. Krishna Rao, CITU State president Ch. Narasinga Rao, Uttarandhra Abhivruddhi Vedika leader A. Aja Sarma, Praja Arogya Vedika leader T. Kameswara Rao, VARWA leaders G.V. Ramana and K.V.P. Chandra Mouli, BSNL union leader P. Latchi Raju, and steel plant representatives Mouli, M.S. Raju and Srinivas participated.
