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Power disruption: Erring staff will pay for damages, Chandigarh assures high court
Deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh, who was summoned in court, explains a committee will be ascertaining and quantifying the damages during the strike by the UT Powermen Union, so that the liability can be fastened upon the culprits
Appearing before the Punjab and Haryana high court again with regard to the power disruption in Chandigarh on February 22 and 23, the UT administration on Thursday said employees who sabotaged the power supply and caused damage to the infrastructure will be dealt with strictly and recoveries will be effected from them.
Deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh, who was summoned in court, told the high court bench of chief justice RS Jha and justice Arun Palli that the UT engineering secretary had constituted a committee to ascertain and quantify the damages during the strike by the UT Powermen Union, so that the liability can be fastened upon the culprits.
The UT electricity department employees had given a strike call for three days from February 22 to 24 against privatisation of power services. The strike had paralysed power supply in most parts of city, prompting the high court to take suo motu note of the issue.
The administration had also invoked provisions of the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA), prohibiting employees from going on strike for six months.
Through an affidavit, the DC told the court that after ESMA was invoked on February 22, employees were ordered to return to work by 9.30 pm that day, and 143 employees, who failed to comply, were now facing disciplinary proceedings, while services of 17 outsourced employees had been terminated.
An FIR was registered on February 23 against eight persons and notices were issued to 126 more, while 81 had already joined investigation till date, the court was told, adding that police had already procured CCTV footage from sub-stations to assess sabotage and these were being sent for forensic examination.
Once the investigation is completed, recovery proceedings against the culprits will be initiated as per apex court orders from time to time on the issue of destruction of public and private properties, the DC added.
The court was informed that police had also procured CCTV footage of Sood Bhawan, Sector 42, and attendance register of all sub-stations to investigate the matter further, and call records of mobile phones allegedly used by union leaders were being obtained and will be scrutinised to examine their role in the strike. An SIT had been constituted by Chandigarh Police led by IPS officer Ketan Bansal, the DC added.
The official told the court that the adviser had also constituted a committee consisting of health secretary to ascertain the cause of power failure in two hospitals: GMCH-32 and GMSH-16. Two JEs, responsible for monitoring power supply in these two hospitals, had been suspended. The administration will leave no stone unturned to unearth the truth and ascertain damages, and recover these from the guilty, the court was told.
Considering the submissions, the court deferred the hearing for later this month, asking UT to detail on plan if such a situation arises again. The court also took an undertaking from the employees’ union that they will not interfere in the probe process launched by UT. Detailed order of the proceedings is yet to be put out by the court.
