Visakhapatnam, Jun 10: YSRCP supremo Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday held the TDP-led NDA coalition government responsible for the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant blast, alleging that neglect of safety standards, maintenance and employee welfare caused the deaths.
A sudden explosion at Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd, also known as Vizag Steel Plant, here on June 8 killed nine workers and injured six others.
Jagan visited the families of the deceased workers and demanded that the state and central governments ensure justice for the victims, saying the response to the incident lacked humanity and compassion.
“The present government’s neglect of safety standards and employee welfare has pushed the steel plant into a crisis, culminating in this tragic accident,” Jagan claimed at a press conference in the port city.
He said nine people had died in the disaster while other injured workers, including one with around 95 per cent burns, were undergoing treatment.
He questioned the treatment being meted out to steel plant workers and employees.
Jagan alleged that the condition of workers had deteriorated after the change in government and urged people to compare the situation under the erstwhile YSRCP government between 2019 and 2024 with that under the current NDA coalition government.
He said the YSRCP government had strongly opposed the privatisation of the steel plant and had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 9, 2021, seeking that the facility not be privatised under any circumstances then.
He said the steel plant had lost around 10,500 employees in the last two years, including 6,500 contract workers, 1,800 who exited under the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) and nearly 2,500 retirees.
The employee strength had come down from about 28,000 to nearly 16,000, placing additional pressure on the remaining workforce, he said.
Jagan claimed that employees were facing salary delays of more than four months and claimed that, for the first time, salaries had been linked to production levels, with workers allegedly paid based on output targets.
He alleged that employees had been denied several benefits over the past two years, including bonuses, medical facilities, House Rent Allowance (HRA), Leave Travel Concession (LTC), leave encashment and incentives.
The former chief minister alleged that electricity charges in staff quarters had increased from 50 paise per unit during the YSRCP regime to Rs 8.5 per unit under the present government, claiming it was intended to pressure employees to vacate their quarters.
Jagan questioned the utilisation of the Rs 11,440 crore package announced for the steel plant, alleging that the funds were used for VRS implementation, GST dues and loan reduction rather than maintenance, safety upgrades, efficiency improvements or employee welfare.
He said workers were not responsible for the accident and claimed that deficiencies in raw material mixing, inferior material quality or operational issues may have caused the blast while molten metal was being transferred.
Liquid metal overflowed from transport buckets and exploded, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries, he said.
The opposition leader urged the state government to exert pressure on the Centre and ensure justice for the victims, while calling for improved safety standards and better treatment of workers at the steel plant. (PTI)
