Chandigarh electricity dept employees lift stir, power restored in most areas

Chandigarh power outage crisis: Union members gathered at Sector 17 have dispersed and resumed their duties. Power supply has been restored in most places of the UT.

A strike by employees of the electricity department in Chandigarh was withdrawn on Wednesday evening, in a major relief for residents of the Union territory.

File photo of a complete blackout in Sector 63, Chandigarh, on Tuesday. (Ravi Kumar/HT)

Union members gathered at Sector 17 have dispersed and resumed their duties. Power supply has been restored in most places of the UT after hours of outage.

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

The protesting employees said that if the electricity department was privatised, their service conditions would change and it also could lead to a rise in power tariffs.

A day ago, the Chandigarh administration had invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act, banning strikes by the electricity department for six months. There were, however, reports that electricity supply was getting restored at some places.

Harried residents, which is the country's first planned city, have blamed the city administration for remaining a mute spectator, leaving them in lurch as the power outages crippled the city.