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Don’t shut down VISL, Siddaramaiah tells PM

The Congress leader accused the union government of neglecting public sector enterprises
Last Updated 06 February 2023, 16:46 IST

Karnataka Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi opposing and condemning the closure of the Visvesvaraya Iron & Steel Plant (VISL) in Shivamogga, which he said would lead to loss of livelihood for thousands of families.

“VISL has had a long journey from being a wood distillery to merging with SAIL in 1998, providing financial support to around 20,000 Kannadigas,” Siddaramaiah stated.

The Congress leader accused the union government of neglecting public sector enterprises. “Recently, 13 PSUs became non-functional while 37 are running at a loss of Rs 6,103 crore. At a time when lakhs of people have lost their jobs, and thousands continue to get laid off reducing existing opportunities, (this) doesn’t seem like a move towards public interest,” Siddaramaiah wrote.

Siddaramaiah said both Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and his predecessor B S Yediyurappa had failed Shivamogga, where VISL is located in Bhadravathi. “The government boasts of bringing in Rs 10 lakh crore during the global investors meet. Then, why has it been so difficult for the CM to keep VISL afloat?” he said, claiming that VISL was profit-making when Congress was in power.

Hailing VISL as “the pride of Karnataka”, Siddaramaiah said its closure would result in foregoing “an indispensable part of the state’s history”.

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(Published 06 February 2023, 16:46 IST)

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