New Delhi: After the employees of the Electricity Department went on a three-day strike from Monday night, many residential and industrial parts of the city of Chandigarh faced major power outages. The protest is against the privatisation of the department.
Many of these places have been facing power outages since midnight according to an IANS report. Certain surgeries at the Government Medical College Hospital in Sector 32 (GMCH 32) have been postponed.
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Residents claimed that three helpline numbers set up for registering the complaints have not been responding to the calls.
"Most of the Industrial Area Phase I and II witnessed blackouts since Monday night. Officers are showing helplessness in restoring power. Hope they arrive at some solution for the next two days," said Chamber of Chandigarh Industries President Naveen Manglani.
The situation may remain the same for the next two days as 1,000 employees went on strike for 72 hours, officials told IANS.
Chandigarh Adviser Dharam Pal told the media they will investigate the reasons behind the power disruption. "Action will be taken against those responsible," he added. Meanwhile, UT Powermen Union President Gopal Dutt Joshi blamed the winds for the disruption of power in Chandigarh.
"We have not disrupted the electricity supply, but we are on strike. Employees hired from neighbouring Punjab and Haryana probably are not able to detect the fault," he added.