The Fight of Those Who Lost Their Homes for Vizag Steel.. Massive Protest at BC Gate Today

Tension is building near the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant today as a large-scale protest gets underway. Displaced families who once gave up their homes and lands to make way for the steel plant have come together in a massive show of dissent. Responding to a call given by the United Displaced Persons' Associations, nearly five thousand affected people have gathered at BC Gate to stage a "Maha Dharna" (mass sit-in protest) that will run from morning to evening. The protesters are firmly demanding that the Central and State governments, along with RINL management, act immediately to address grievances that, they say, have gone unresolved for decades despite the sacrifices they made.

The protesters' core demands are clear. They want the plant management to identify surplus land within the steel plant's premises and allot one acre to each family holding an R-Card, as part of a One-Time Settlement (OTS). Until a permanent resolution or the OTS is completed, they are also demanding a monthly subsistence allowance of ₹25,000 per family, in line with rehabilitation law provisions. Having given up their land for the plant and remained without proper housing ever since, the displaced families are calling on the government to finally acknowledge their plight.

With a large turnout expected, police have taken precautionary measures ahead of the protest. Barricades have been set up at BC Gate, and a heavy security deployment is in place. Officers are working to ensure that plant employees on shift duty face no disruption in movement, while also preventing protesters from breaching the gate. As the situation unfolds, all eyes remain fixed on BC Gate to see which direction events will take.