Trade unions to boycott RINL Day fete

Visakhapatnam: SEVERAL trade unions of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited, the corporation entity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, have decided to boycott the Formation Day celebrations on February 18 and organise a road blockade by about 20,000 protesters even as the privatisation is likely to become a key issue in the elections announced for Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation on March 10.

Civic issues like erratic road digging and clogging drains are expected to be pushed to the corner, with various political parties gearing up to make Centre's decision to privatise RINL the main topic. The elections for GVMC-the largest corporation in Andhra Pradesh are being held after a gap of 14 years due to court cases over merger of 10 villages from Bheemili and Anakapalle with the corporation.

GVMC has a key role to play in development of smart city with funds to the tune of Rs1,000 crore sanctioned by the Centre and 140.11-km Metro Rail proposed by the State Government from Anakapalle to Bhogapuram International Airport at an estimated cost of Rs 22,000 crore.

Due to long gestation, the steel plant was established on February 18, 1982. "We will not only abstain from the celebrations in protest against privatisation decision, but also block nearly 2-km long road near Kurmannapalem gate to Kanithi Balancing Reservoir Road by about 20,000 people by inviting leaders from YSRCP, TDP and other parties barring the BJP," Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Committee leader and recognised union president J Ayodharam told Bizz Buzz on Tuesday.

As almost every family in the city has some connections with Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, set up after a decade-long agitation in 1960s claiming 32 human lives in police firing forcing then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to concede the demand.

The decision of Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on January 27, disclosed through a tweet to sell 100 per cent shareholding in RINL, is being described as an insult to `Pride of Andhra Pradesh' as the steel plant was established after the 'Visakha Ukku Andhrula Hakku' agitation.

Now various political parties such as YSR Congress Party and Telugu Desam Party are trading charges against each other. The local BJP leaders who called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with BJP national general secretary and former Vizag MP Daggubati Purundeswari and State BJP president Somu Veerraju have already felt the heat and appealed to the Centre to reconsider the decision.

Palla hospitalised

Meanwhile, tension gripped parts of Gajuwaka following early morning shifting of TDP leader and former MP Palla Srinivasa Rao to the hospital run by a dairy following deterioration of his health. He was on a fast-unto-death from last Wednesday demanding continuation of RINL in public sector.

The police hospitalised him hours before the scheduled visit of TDP leader and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to the city to express his solidarity with the agitating employees of RINL.