Puducherry in darkness as electricity department employees go on strike

Parts of the tiny Union Territory of Puducherry have plunged into darkness with employees of the electricity department continuing with their protest against the government’s moves to privatise its power distribution company.

Several areas in Puducherry city continue to reel under power cuts for the past few days, especially since Saturday. Around 20,000 employees of the Electricity Department have been boycotting work by holding a protest since last week, severely inconveniencing people due to frequent long hours of power cuts.

After days of talks between the two sides, the employees on Monday evening withdrew their strike following an assurance from the UT administration led by Lt. Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and Chief Minister N Rangasamy that their demands will be considered.