Vizag Steel Plant అర్థానపు Maintainence అంటున్న RINL employees

[andhra_jp]

Non-Telugu RINL employees rue turn of events, hope for good days

Though hailing from various parts of the country, these employees have struck a chord with the city, its people, customs, tradition and culture

At least 900 non-Telugu employees of the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), the corporate entity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), and their families are worried about the deplorable condition of the steel plant since the Union Government’s decision to privatise the plant in 2021.

As it is a public sector undertaking under the Union Ministry of Steel, people from various States are employed in the VSP, which is the first and only shore-based facility in the country. It was demerged from the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) on February 18, 1982.

There are about 900 regular employees hailing from more than 25 States and Union Territories, including Jammu & Kashmir, Nagaland, Gujarat, Bihar, Meghalaya, Assam, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Most of them have jelled well with the city and its geographical conditions, people, customs, traditions and culture. Many of them speak the local language, Telugu.

“Though I was born and bred in Jammu & Kashmir, we have become a Telugu family. I am proud of being an RINL-VSP employee,” Indrajeet Raina told The Hindu.

Sharing his bod with the Port City, Phungshok, Manager (HR), Personnel Department, said, “I was born in a remote village named Meluri in Phek district of Nagaland, on the India-Burma border. I landed a job in VSP in 2013. I love Visakhapatnam, as it is a beautiful city like my village surrounded by hills. We are saddened by the state of the plant. But, we hope that we will get good news from the government.”

From ‘kalasi’ (minor job) to technician, foreman to junior officer, or manager in 26 departments, these non-Telugu employees work in various posts and capacities in the plant.

Most of them reside in the areas such as Kurmannapalem, Gajuwaka, Sabbavaram, Anakapalli, Gopalapatnam, Peda Gantyada, NAD, Seethammadhara, and MVP Colony.

Varasala Srinivasa Rao, a senior leader of the Visakha Ukku Pariraskhana Porata Committee, said RINL-VSP was not only an industry for production of steel required for the nation but also home to people hailing from different cultures and religions from almost all parts of the country.

“If the State and Central governments save the plant from financial problems and rethink on privatisation, these non-Telugu employees will be in the forefront in hailing the NDA coalition parties (TDP, JSP & BJP) in their respective States,” Mr. Srinivasa Rao said.