Be ready: Power ministry's advisory to states ahead of 2-day trade union strike

Bharat Bandh: West Bengal government has made attendance of government staff mandatory on Monday and Tuesday.

Ahead of the trade unions' two-day national strike from March 28 to March 30, the power ministry on Sunday has written to all states governments and electricity authorities asking them to ensure normal functioning of the electricity supply during the strike of the employees. Shutdown activities planned during these two days may be rescheduled to suitable future dates, the ministry said. Additional manpower may be deployed at all critical power stations to handle any emergency conditions.

Bharat Bandh: Members of all Trade Union (Congress and Left Front) in support of a nationwide strike, in Kolkata,  (PTI)

Control room executives should be vigil and on high alert and power supply to essential services like hospitals, defence infrastructure, railways should be ensured, the power ministry advisory said.

Many services are likely to be hit for two days across the nation as a joint forum of central trade unions has given a call for a nationwide strike on March 28 and 29, to protest against government policies affecting workers, farmers, and people. Roadways, transport workers, electricity workers, bank unions have decided to join the strike. The strike notices have been given by unions in the sectors such as coal, steel, oil, telecom, postal, income tax, copper, banks, insurance among others, a statement of the joint forum issued earlier said. The unions in railways and defence sector would be making mass mobilization in support of the strike at several hundreds of spots, it stated.