Why in news? Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL) has taken a decision to close the , Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Plant (VISP) at Bhadravati in Shivamogga district

Highlights

• VISP at Bhadravati in Shivamogga district, a symbol of early industrialisation of Karnataka with a history of 105 years, may be on its last legs
• In recent years, production came down, resulting in losses that resulted in closure of the plant

About Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Plant

• Public Sector Undertaking plant in the city of Bhadravathi.
• Plant was started as the Mysore Iron Works ,by Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar and his Diwan Sir M Visvesvaraya
• It is a unit of Steel Authority of India Limited, involved in the production of alloy steels and pig iron.
• The VISP was set up as Mysore Wood Distillation and Iron Works, the starting of steel production its name was changed to Mysore Iron & Steel Works
• As a tribute to its founder, the company was renamed Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Plant in 1976.
• It is also alleged that despite employing pollution treatment plants, the effluents discharged from the company is polluting the Bhadra river.