The contractual employees of Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Plant at Bhadravathi staged a protest in front of the residence of Shivamogga Lok Sabha MP B.Y. Raghavendra on Jan. 15.
The employees and their families raised slogans demanding that the plant be revived so that they could get enough jobs to keep them engaged throughout the month. As of now, they are hired only for 10 to 12 days a month, leaving them with salaries of about ₹6,000.
They urged the Centre to restart the unit on a full scale, since January 19, 2023, days after the Centre decided to close down the unit. Later, the Centre decided to restart the unit partially.
Mr. Raghavendra and Shivamogga MLA S.N. Channabasappa offered Ellu Bella (a mixture of sesame seeds and jaggery) to the protesters to mark the Sankranti celebrations. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Raghavendra said he had been with the employees. He told them that he succeeded in getting the unit out of the threat of closure. “You all know my efforts in reviving the plant. I will continue to make efforts in this regard. Former CM B.S. Yediyurappa has written a letter to the Centre. We will be meeting the leaders in Delhi in this regard,” he said.
He also clarified that the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) had not come forward to invest in the unit, as stated by some employees during the protest.
