Tension at Vizag Steel Plant as workers lay siege to office building

Hyderabad: Tension prevailed at the state run Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday as workers tried to lay siege to one of the office buildings. CRPF and police forces were deployed to bring the situation under control.

They were protesting as the RINL—the corporate entity of VSP—had removed around 4,500 contract workers from the job. The workers in turn staged protests at the ED- Works office and damaged the building's windows.

Ever since the Centre announced disinvestment plans to privatise the Vizag steel plant, it has become a hotbed of protests. The plant also became an issue to be discussed during elections.

There were also reports that due to lack of resources to procure raw material used in steel making three of the four blast furnaces in the steel plant have been shut down.

The RINL had also jumped payments to its creditors. Workers have been demanding that the Centre either infuse capital into the Plant or merge it into SAIL to keep the steel plant running. Workers have been alleging that the government has been forcing the Plant to be shut by not providing any support in the last few years.