Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], April 18 : Botcha Jhansi Lakshmi, former MP and the Lok Sabha candidate for the ruling YSRCP from Vishakhapatnam, urged the striking Gangavaram port workers and unions to allow the movement or passage of nearly 2 lakh tonnes of imported coking coal from the port to the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.
"Due to the lack of coal reserves in the Visakhapatnam steel plant (RINL), production has to be stopped. However, due to the ongoing strike of workers at Gangavaram Port over the last few days, coal reserves at Visakhapatnam Steel Plant are running scarce. The passage of about two lakh tonnes of coal at Gangavaram port has been stopped. I am urging the striking workers and unions to allow the transport of coal mines for the steel plant from Gangavaram ports," Lakshmi said.
The port workers went on a strike against the alleged negligence of the management in resolving their long-pending demands.
Jhansi urged immediate action to prevent further damage, highlighting the potential permanent harm to the plant's infrastructure if the crisis persists.
"Due to the lack of coal, the steel plant might shut down. Lack of adequate coking coal and non-operation of coke ovens may result in irreparable permanent damage to the coke oven batteries and coke oven," Lakshmi said.
"Visakhapatnam Steel Plant has been showing a turnaround with improved market conditions and operation of three blast furnaces but the disruption of coking coal supplies has raised fears of two of the three blast furnaces shutting down," Lakshmi added.
She added that unlike blast furnaces, coke ovens have to remain operational all the time. If the coking coal crisis is not averted, it could cost the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant a whopping Rs 20,000 crores, while rendering 20,000 employees of the steel plant jobless, she said, adding that it would set the stage for a deeper crisis going forward.
She hoped that the crisis would end soon with the efforts of unions of both the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited(RINL) and Gangavaram Port.
"We have appealed to the striking unions of GPL to show magnanimity and life their strike as a humane gesture to allow the movement of coking coal from Gangavaram Port to VSP. I call on them to save the steel plant and the livelihoods of its workers," Lakshmi said.
Jhansi also urged district and RINL officials to arrange alternative plans for running the steel plant, averting the possibility of a shutdown.
"In my earlier term (as MP), I raised concerns over coal reserves in Parliament. I requested the government to allocate coal mines for the Visakhapatnam steel plant. Had the government arranged captive coal mines for the steel plant, we wouldn't have faced the prevailing crisis," Jhansi said.