NEW DELHI – A major power blackout for over 36 hours in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh has hit water supply, hospitals and traffic lights, officials said on Wednesday.
The blackout in India’s most well-planned city was caused by a three-day strike called by electricity department workers who protested against privatization. The outage left thousands of homes without power since Monday evening and traffic lights are not working in many areas.
In the wake of the non-availability of electricity, government hospitals have been forced to reschedule or postpone planned surgeries. Reports said the power cut has also shut down online classes and coaching institutes in the city, thereby affecting thousands of students. Power cuts have also hit industrial production and manufacturing at some units in the city.
The protesting employees fear privatization of their department will change their work terms and also increase power tariffs. The city’s administration held a meeting with the employees in a bid to persuade them to call off the strike. However, no consensus could be reached out. Meanwhile, the administration has, in court, accused striking workers of “acts of sabotage.”
On Tuesday evening, the administration enforced the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA), banning strikes by the electricity department for six months. Reports said authorities have called in a military engineer services team to restore power supply in the city.
Though officials claimed they had made arrangements to maintain power supply, the city residents and traders in many areas of the city complained of outages. Amid the blackout, the mobile operators association issued a statement to local media Wednesday acknowledging that the outage had disrupted mobile network connectivity in certain parts of the city. The telecom companies are now seeking alternate sources to power their sites and exchanges.
“Due to the ongoing electricity crisis in Chandigarh, telecom services are badly impacted in all the areas and nearby states. Telecom towers in Chandigarh are fully dependent on the electric grid supply,” the Digital Infrastructure Providers Association said in a statement.
