Educational Bandh Against VSP Privatization Peaceful

Vijayawada/Kurnool: The state-wide educational bandh was observed peacefully in Vijayawada and across the NTR district. The call was given by some student and youth associations against the privatisation of the Visakha Steel Plant and for the immediate start of the construction of a steel plant in Kadapa.

The pro-Left SFI, AISF, the PDSU, the AIYF and other entities jointly gave the state-wide educational institutions bandh call. The CPI and the CPIM were also involved in the protest. Private schools and colleges declared a holiday on Wednesday to avoid any incident. The government schools and colleges functioned but student leaders  staged protests demanding closure of the schools.

The protesters raised slogans against the state government. The police arrested some students leaders, but released them later.

SFI state president Prasanna Kumar urged chief minister Jagan Moha Reddy to apply pressure on the Union Government to avoid privatization of VSP and immediately start the Kadapa Steel plants.

In Kurnool, CPI state secretary K Ramakrishna led the protest and sought protection of VSP and the immediate establishment of a steel plant in Kadapa.

The protest, named "Save Visakhapatnam's Steel Plant," was jointly organised by the CPM and CPI.

The student unions in Kurnool district called for a strike in educational institutions to support the establishment of a Kadapa steel factory and to safeguard the interests of the Visakha Steel Plant.

After the educational institutions' bandh in Nandyal, police took some leaders of student unions into custody. Dhanunjay, the district secretary of AISF, called for a halt to the process of privatisation of VSP.