Visakha Steel Running Out of Raw Materials

Visakhapatnam: The ongoing workers’ strike at Adani Gangavaram Port Ltd has delayed the delivery of coal to Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd’s (RINL) Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), union leaders informed the district collector on Wednesday.

They further reported that on April 16, despite ongoing protests by fishermen, the district administration did not deploy police forces at the port. “The VSP management has formed a team of 15 officers to negotiate with the protesting workers, who have denied access to steel officials,” they said. Eight months ago, district collector Mallikarjuna and Minister for for Industries, Infrastructure and IT, Gudivada Amarnath promised improvements for the Gangavaram port residents. However, these promises have not been fulfilled, further aggravating the workers’ situation. This is despite assurances from the district collector of resolving the issue by Wednesday evening, said union leaders who remain concerned due to the lack of action.

The current situation could have been avoided if the Adani Gangavaram Port management had adhered to the commitments made by the District Collector to the port workers eight months ago, they said.