Powermen’s strike leaves parts of Chandigarh powerless for up to 14 hours

Chandigarh residents faced the brunt of the one-day strike called by the electricity department employees as major power supply disruptions were reported from across the city on Thursday.

The administration’s Tuesday warning to employees against going on strike went largely unheeded with department officials stating that more than 90% of the field staff didn’t report for duty. Unions claimed nearly 100% employees took part in the strike from 11pm on Wednesday to 11pm on Thursday.

Employees are up in arms against the administration’s decision to privatise power distribution in the city. Already, nine companies have expressed interest in participating in the bidding process. Employees contend that the department is in profit and should not be privatised.