AP High Court hears JD’s petition challenging Vizag steel plant privatisation

Amaravati, August 29: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Monday heard a petition filed by former CBI Joint Director V.V. Lakshminarayana, popularly known as JD, challenging privatisation of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), a corporate entity of the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL). 

Appearing on behalf of Lakshminarayana, lawyer Yalamanjula Balaji brought to the notice of the High Court that the RINL had acquired 22,000 acres from 9,200 farmers for setting up steel plant. “Till date, jobs were not given to farmers as promised. After they died, fourth generation children did not get jobs too,” he mentioned and pointed out that VSP privatisation is against Article 21 of the Constitution.   
 
AP Advocate General Subrahmanyam Sriram informed the High Court that the state government is also opposing privatisation of steel plant. “The AP government put forward several proposals before the Centre as an alternative to VSP privatisation,” he said. The High Court directed the RINL, Central and state governments to file counter affidavits and adjourned the hearing to September 21.