As RINL Faces Severe Coking Coal Crisis, BJP Leader GVL Narasimha Rao Appeals To Gangavaram Port Striking Employees To Facilitate Coal Transport
Earlier, All major trade unions collectively wrote to Collector & District Magistrate of Vishakapatnam in this regard
Highlighting the severe coking coal shortage in Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), popularly known as Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, owing to a week-long strike by workers of Gangavaram Port Liited (GPL), senior BJP leader GVL Narasimha Rao appealed to the striking workers to allow transportation of imported coking coal lying at the Gangavaram Port.
In a video message, GVL Narasimha Rao stated that lack of adequate coking coal and non-operation of coke ovens may result an irreparable permanent damage to the coke oven batteries and coke ovens. This will also result in shutting down of Steel plant operations for several months. Unlike blast furnaces, coke ovens have to be made operational all the time, GVL informed. if the looming coking coal crisis is not averted, it could cost the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant a whopping Rs.20,000 crores, ex-MP GVL observed.
GVL stated that efforts to evaluate 2.5 lakh tons of imported coking coal lying at the Gangavaram Port last night with the help of Police and local authorities have proved to be in vain as the striking employees strongly resisted coal evacuation attempts and the GPL management staying away fearing trouble.
Informing that he has been engaged in discussions with RINL’s Chairman and Managing Director Shri Atul Bhatt, district authorities, some RINL’s worker unions & executive associations, GVL Narasimha Rao sought an early end to the crisis as the livelihoods of families of 30,000 employees of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant are at stake.
Stating that the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant has been showing a turn around with improved market conditions and operation of three blast furnaces but the disruption of coking coal supplies has created a new crisis leading to shutting down of two of the three blast furnaces, GVL stated.
GVL hoped that the crisis would end soon with the efforts of unions of both the RINL and Gangavaram Port. GVL appealed to the striking unions of GPL to show magnanimity and to relax as a humanitarian measure their strike for movement of coking coal from Gangavaram Port to VSP to save the Steel plant and the livelihoods of its workers.
GVL informed that he has also discussed with the RINL’s CMD regarding alternate arrangements for coking coal from alternate sources to overcome the impending crisis and avoid a shut down of operations of the Steel Plant.
