Several areas in Chandigarh are witnessing a major disruption in power supply as employees of the electricity department have gone on a three-day strike against privatisation.
Major power outage was reported in several parts of Chandigarh as employees of the electricity department went on a three-day strike against the privatisation of the electricity department. The employees had called for the strike after the Chandigarh administration failed to convince them.
UT Powermen advisor Dharam Pal held a meeting with the Powermen Union to persuade them to call off the strike, but no consensus was reached.
Despite the assurance of the administration that the necessary arrangements had been made to maintain an uninterrupted electricity supply, many parts of the city faced power disruption for hours. The employees’ union has threatened to extend the protest indefinitely in case the privatisation move is not halted.
Necessary arrangements made
In view of the major blackout in the city, the administration informed the Municipal Corporation to arrange alternative sources of supply and seek aid from Haryana and Punjab for manpower. However, the residents were warned beforehand of power and water supply breakdown.
The necessary arrangements were put in place to tackle any kind of emergency during the power outage and the Chandigarh Police was kept in the loop to maintain the law and order situation.
At least thirteen technical engineers from the electrical wing of the engineering department and department officials were also deployed at various sub-stations to manage the crisis. The residents can also contact various complaint centres and police for electricity complaints.
The administration has set up three special control rooms in Sector 17, 9 and a Citizen Facilitation Centre to help the residents.
Many areas face power disruption
Residents of Modern Housing Complex, Mani Majra and Sectors 30-A, 46 and 28-D said the electricity supply was disrupted. There was no electricity in Sectors 40, 24, 46, 41 and 9.
Most of Industrial Area of Phases 1 and 2 faced power outages since Monday night.
Some areas also complained of no water supply in the morning as there was no electricity from midnight. A resident of Sector-9 claimed that he tried calling the complaint number but could not communicate with them.
Dept made profit in last 5 years
Due to power outages in Chandigarh city, residents and shopkeepers are facing the brunt as there has been a complete blackout in the majority of the sectors since midnight. Chandigarh Electricity Employees Union President Dhian Singh, while talking to India Today, said that the Department was always in profit and in the last five years the department has made Rs 1000 crore profit, but the department is still being privatized.
“Our 600 regular and 350 contract employees will straight away be affected by this,” he added.
Singh said that the department’s bidding has already been done at 871 crore and is being purchased by Eminent Electricity power distribution. He alleged that under the 2003 electricity Department act there is no provision to hand over the Govt dept in private hands.
Source : ians
