YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the leader of YSRCP and former Chief Minister said that people must think seriously about the condition of workers at the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. He said that the situation of workers has become very bad under the coalition government.
Visit to Seven Hills Hospital
After visiting the people hurt in the steel plant accident at Seven Hills Hospital Jagan Mohan Reddy talked to the media. He said the accident was very sad. He confirmed that nine workers died in the accident and many others are getting treatment. He said one worker is still very sick and another worker got 95 percent burns.
Remarks on Victims and Safety Concerns
Jagan said the accident did not happen because workers were careless. It happened because of a liquid metal blast. He is very worried about how people got hurt. He said there must be safety measures in industrial operations to stop such tragedies from happening again.
Criticism of Coalition Government
He said that the condition of workers has become very bad under the coalition government. He said job security, wages and welfare measures have decreased compared to when YSRCP was in power.
He asked people to compare the working conditions during the YSRCP government with now and see the difference.
Privatization and Employment Issues
Jagan said that his government strongly opposed the privatization of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. He said letters were sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 6 and March 9 2021 opposing privatization. A resolution was also passed in the state assembly.
He said that when YSRCP was in power around 28,000 employees worked in the steel plant.. In the last two years about 10,500 jobs were lost. He said 6,500 contract workers were removed and 1,800 employees were forced into retirement schemes (VRS). Now the workforce is around 16,000.
Allegations on Wages and Working Conditions
Jagan criticized the administration. He said employees have not got salaries for four months. He also said that linking wages to production increasing electricity charges in quarters from ₹0.50 to ₹8.50 per unit and stopping bonuses and medical facilities have made workers lives harder.
Past Industrial Incident and Compensation Issue
He also talked about an industrial accident 14 months ago. He said promises made to the family of a worker for employment and compensation were not kept. He said officials said files were missing, which shows that the administration was careless.
Comments on Government Response
Jagan said he was disappointed with the governments response to the tragedy. He criticized comments made by Nara Lokesh saying they were surprising and insensitive. He also said that no compensation had been announced by the state government for the victims.
Compensation Demand
He said that during his time ₹1 crore compensation was given immediately in industrial accident cases. He said that now central government and PM relief funds are being considered, while the state government has not contributed any compensation.
He demanded that the coalition government announce ₹1 crore compensation along with government jobs, for the families of workers.
Conclusion
Jagan Mohan Reddy concluded by saying that if the government does not take responsibility YSRCP will ensure such compensation is provided when it comes to power in the future. He said that the government should help people in need during tragic incidents.
