Privatisation of RINL not imminent, says BJP’s GVL

There is a systematic attempt to distort the facts. Our position is very clear. Now the disinvestment decision is stalled. Both in the case of RINL and CONCOR, the process for disinvestment like issuing EoI notice should have followed within a few months of a green signal from the Cabinet - GVL Narasimha Rao, BJP Rajya Sabha MP

Visakhapatnam: BJP official spokesman and Rajya Sabha MP GVL Narasimha Rao on Wednesday dismissed criticism on Centre’s keenness for privatisation of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), the corporate entity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and declared that in the near future, privatisation is not possible.

Hitting out at attempts to portray the Expression of Interest (EoI) notification issued by the RINL management seeking prospective partners for tie-up to arrange working capital/raw material in exchange of finished products rolled out by VSP as an attempt to privatise the public sector company, he said the Centre had not yet issued EoI notification seeking bids to buy RINL even though the strategic disinvestment decision was cleared in January, 2021 by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.

“There is a systematic attempt to distort the facts. Our position is very clear. Now the disinvestment decision is stalled. Both in the case of RINL and CONCOR, the process for disinvestment like issuing EoI notice should have followed within a few months of a green signal from the Cabinet,” the MP said.

He said the Centre wants to strengthen RINL. “Now focus should be on improving the financial position of RINL and raising productivity. Efforts have already been initiated by the RINL management to monetise 21 acres of precious lands in the heart of the city. There is also an attempt to sell away the forged alloys wheel plant set up by RINL at Rae Bareily in Uttar Pradesh on the land belonging to the Railways,” he said.

Rao said the unions should withdraw protests over privatisation and now try hard to improve the performance of RINL to revive its lost glory by putting it back on the right track.

On the delay in operationalising the South Coast Railway (SCoR) zone with headquarters in Visakhapatnam, he said the Centre has already cleared the decision and it will be made operational in next few months.

Referring to the delay in starting construction work on the 400-bed ESI hospital in the city, which has 3.5 lakh workers covered under ESI scheme, he said the Centre has already granted Rs 380 crore for the super-speciality hospital. There was a delay in getting the land-use plan and now the clearance from AP Pollution Control Board is awaited. The work on construction will be completed within 30 months once all the clearances are obtained, he clarified.

Rao and BJP State vice-president P Vishnu Kumar Raju expressed concern over irregularities in the preparation of voters’ list in Visakha East Assembly Constituency and said they will submit a detail representation to the Central Election Commission seeking its intervention. The MP to a question said Jana Sena Party is part of the NDA and they will contest the elections in Andhra Pradesh by putting up common candidates.