Chandigarh residents face brunt as powermen go on strike

While the electricity department employees went on a one-day strike against the privatisation move in Chandigarh, residents in various parts of the city had to face the brunt, with some complaining of as long as 20-hour power cuts.

Ramesh Chander Hastir, 86, who lives in Sector 37-C, said power at houses on two lanes went around midnight and didn’t return till Tuesday night. “The electricity department had listed some complaint numbers in newspapers, but none was working. I live with my 83-year-old wife, and we both have various health issues. Staying without hot water and heaters for so long is very taxing on senior citizens like us,” he said.

In Sector 43-A, residents complained that power went on Monday night itself. Dr Sonika, a resident said: “With schools running online, children suffered the most. My son was unable to appear for his unit test on Tuesday.” In Manimajra, the whole area blacked out at 8pm on Monday, according to Imran Mansuri, a local. Near the Morigate neighbourhood, electricity went around 6am, and the area stayed without power even till 9pm on Tuesday.