Andhra forum seeks captive mines, SAIL merger for Visakhapatnam steel plant
Andhra Intellectuals Forum demands captive mines and SAIL merger for VSP, citing cost burden, unpaid worker dues, and stalled modernisation.
The Andhra Intellectuals Forum has urged the Centre to allocate captive mines to the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) and merge the unit with the Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL). Forum president Chalasani Srinivas made the demand on Friday, calling on Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, and YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to press the central government on the matter.
Speaking at a press conference organised by the Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Porata Committee at the Visakhapatnam Journalists Forum, Srinivas said the absence of captive mines was adding ₹6,400 to the cost of producing each tonne of steel. He also alleged that several contract workers had been removed from service and their Aadhaar cards blocked.
Committee representatives said the ₹11,400 crore released by the Centre had been used to repay bank loans, with no expenditure on machinery repairs, plant development, or worker welfare. They added that the plant required immediate modernisation and that ₹900 crore in worker dues remained unpaid.