JAC seeks ₹1 crore ex gratia for Visakhapatnam Steel Plant blast victims
The Visakhapatnam district workers’ Joint Action Committee (JAC) has urged the State government to announce ex gratia of ₹1 crore to the families of workers who died in the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant explosion.
A protest was held on Wednesday near the Gurajada statue at the RTC Complex under the leadership of JAC chairman M. Jagga Naidu, along with CITU and AITUC state secretaries R.K.S.V. Kumar and Padala Venkataramana.
Addressing the gathering, the leaders said families of the deceased and injured were awaiting adequate support from the government. They noted that while IT Minister Nara Lokesh and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan had visited the victims and offered condolences, the government had not yet announced a compensation package.
They said the steel plant management had announced ₹25 lakh compensation and employment to eligible dependents of deceased permanent and contract workers. However, they alleged that the State government had not extended any additional ex gratia.
Recalling previous industrial accidents, including the LG Polymers gas leak and the Ascensia Pharma incident at Achyutapuram SEZ, the leaders said ₹1 crore ex gratia had been provided in earlier cases. They questioned why similar relief was not being extended to steel plant workers.
The JAC also referred to Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan’s remarks on statutory compensation for employees, stating that such benefits were separate from government ex gratia payments announced in earlier incidents.
The leaders held both the Centre and the State government responsible for the accident, alleging negligence in safety systems, machinery upgrades, raw material quality, and manpower deployment at the plant.
They also criticised remarks made by Ministers Nara Lokesh and Pawan Kalyan, alleging inconsistency in their positions on labour issues.
The JAC urged Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to immediately announce ₹1 crore compensation for the deceased and ₹50 lakh for the injured, along with improved medical care for those undergoing treatment.
Representatives of several women’s and labour organisations participated in the protest and addressed the gathering.