Strike ends, blackout over, people’s ordeal too in Chandigarh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 23

Nearly 40 hours after the city plunged into darkness, the UT Powermen Union withdrew its 72-hour strike midway after signing an agreement with the UT Administration this evening.

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Meanwhile, the power supply was restored in almost all sectors with the assistance of a team of the Military Engineer Services (MES). The power was restored in a phased manner and most of the areas were covered by the evening. The situation normalised in the remaining areas by 10 pm.

Eight Army officers and about 120 other ranks, who came from Chandimandir, Ambala, Delhi, Ludhiana and Patiala, helped restore the power supply in the UT. They worked round the clock since last night at three sub-stations, said an official of the Western Command.

“About 70 to 80 per cent of the power supply was restored by the morning. The Army will continue to be deployed till the situation normalises,” said UT Adviser Dharam Pal.

Although late, but both Punjab and Haryana extended their help in bringing the situation back to normal.

The Adviser said 50 employees of the Electricity Department, Punjab, 10 each from Haryana and the BBMB, and 25 from the Rural Electrification Corporation reached Chandigarh today.

Meanwhile, an FIR under the Essential Services Maintenance Act was registered at the Sector 3 police station.

Sources said many senior leaders of the union were allegedly detained by the police and pressured to return to work.

After talks between the Administration and the union leaders remained inconclusive last night, the Administration resumed discussions in the afternoon and by the end of the day, both sides reached a consensus. The union decided to withdraw the strike on the condition that the Letter of Intent (LOI) to the selected firm will not be issued till March 10 this year.

The UT Adviser reassured the employees of the Electricity Department that their wages and benefits would not be affected with any administrative decision.

Earlier in the day, Purohit held a meeting with UT Adviser Dharam Pal, Col Jasdeep Sandhu, Adviser-cum-Principal Director, Civil Military Affairs, Western Command, and other senior officials of the UT Administration to review the situation of power breakdown.

Purohit appreciated the efforts of the Western Command Army authorities in restoring the power supply in various pockets of the city in a record time by deploying technical manpower throughout the night. He appealed the protesting employees not to repeat any act, which was not in public interest.

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