Hopes for the revival of the historical Visvesvaraya Iron and Limited (VISL) has brightened with Union Minister for Steel Choudhary Birendra Singh giving an assurance that the state’s first steel plant set-up by Bharat Ratna Sir M Vivesvaraya in 1923 in Bhardravati, Shivamogga district would not be privatised.
The assurance came during a meeting of a BJP delegation led by party state president B S Yeddyurappa, Union Minister Ananth Kumar and others in Delhi. The delegation explained the significance and public sentiments attached with VISL. The BJP leaders urged the Union Minister to revive the steel plant through modernisation instead of privatising it, Yeddyurappa said in a statement.
Apart from the need for technological upgradation, VISL is facing the problem of steady unavailability of iron ore after the closure of many iron mines in the state. The Union government has sought allotment of 140 hectares of mining area at Sandur taluk in Ballari to VISL.