VISAKHAPATNAM: Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Porata Committee (VUPPC) is getting ready for Karmika Garjana, a massive rally to be taken out from Trishna Grounds on Saturday. Speaking to mediapersons here on Thursday, committee chairman Ch Narasinga Rao said the Garjana will give momentum to the agitation against the Central government’s unilateral decision to privatise the Vizag steel plant.
He said top national trade union leaders such as CITU general secretary Tapan Sen, AITUC general secretary Amarjit Kaur, INTUC president G Sanjeeva Reddy, HMS vice president Ahmad, BMS secretary DK Pandhe, TNTUC president G Raghurama Raju and YSRTUC president will address the rally.Narasinga Rao added the committee strongly condemned the statement made by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on March 15.
He noted the RINL had a record of increasing its production capacity from 1.3 million tonnes per annum to 6.3 mtpa with its own financial resources. “The RINL’s rated capacity is more than the Bhilai steel plant’s even when it has less staff strength. If captive mines are allotted and loans are converted into equity, the problems of RINL can be solved permanently.”
He said all trade unions were opposing the government’s move to hand over the national wealth to the corporate. Meanwhile, addressing another meeting former CBI joint director VV Lakhminarayana said if the steel plant is privatised then SCs and STs will lose reservation.