Lights back as Chandigarh power dept workers call off strike

Protesting employees of the city electricity department on Wednesday evening called off their strike while power supply has also been restored in the most parts of the city.

The decision to call off the three-day strike, that was to end on Thursday night, was taken after a meeting between the representatives of the UT Powermen Union and senior officials of the Chandigarh administration.

The city residents have faced the worst-ever electricity crisis in the history of Chandigarh as the disruption in power supply adversely affected residential, industrial and commercial areas.

Even the government hospitals in the Union territory had to reschedule elective surgeries.

Employees of the electricity department, under the banner of the UT Powermen Union, had gone on a strike on late Monday night against UT Chandigarh administration's move to privatise the department.

After the meeting with the officials of the administration, UT Powermen Union president Dhian Singh said they have called off the strike.

Addressing the media on Wednesday evening, Dharam Pal, adviser to the UT administrator, said power to most of the areas has been restored since the staff has joined their duties.

"Some areas might still be affected but we will restore (power) in those areas as well by today evening," said the adviser.

The Chandigarh administration on Tuesday evening had invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act, banning strikes by the electricity department for six months.

He said the army's help was also taken to restore electricity in the city.

Six feeders were restored on Tuesday night, he said, adding that by Wednesday noon, power supply in 80 per cent of the area was restored.

Pal also read out the proceedings of the meeting with the union members and said that the union requested that the sympathetic view should be taken regarding those employees who join their duty on Wednesday itself.

”The deputy commissioner, Chandigarh, assured that a reasonable sympathetic view will be taken regarding such employees who joined their duty today,” he said.

Appropriate legal action will be taken against those employees who will still be absent from duty, he further said.

The adviser said on the request of the union, the deputy commissioner assured that the department will not issue LoI (letter of intent) to a selected private agency till the next date of hearing in the Punjab and Haryana high court.

The matter pertaining to the privatisation of the electricity department is pending before the high court.

Notably, in 2020, the Chandigarh administration had decided to privatize the department and later the UT Powermen Union approached the high court against this move.

The Chandigarh administration on Wednesday assured the Punjab and Haryana high court that it would restore 100 percent electricity by 10 pm.

The high court on Tuesday had taken suo motu notice of the electricity crisis and had asked the UT chief engineer to appear before the court on Wednesday.

Residents of Chandigarh at some places faced power outages on Wednesday morning.

Harried residents of the union territory Chandigarh, which is the common capital of Punjab and Haryana, had blamed the city administration for remaining a mute spectator, leaving them in lurch as the power outages crippled the city.

Congress MP from Anandpur Sahib Manish Tewari on Wednesday had sought the intervention of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the matter, saying there is "chaos and anarchy" and all essential services have come to a standstill.