Electricity workers protesting against the privatization of the electricity department
Many Parts of Chandigarh have been left without electricity and water for more than 36 hours in a major blackout following a three-day strike by electricity department workers.
Since Monday evening, Thousands of homes have been suffering the problem without power and water supply and traffic lights are not working in many areas in one of India's most well-planned cities.
The administration has, in court, accused striking workers of "acts of sabotage".
Government hospitals have been forced to reschedule many surgeries and other appointments.
"We have a backup plan like we have generators. But you cannot put 100 per cent load of a hospital on a generator. So, we had to reschedule or postpone our planned surgeries," Chandigarh Health Services Director Suman Singh told news agency PTI.
The power cut has also shut down online classes and coaching institutes around four hours from Delhi.
The electricity workers are protesting against the privatization of the electricity department. Union Territory Advisor Dharam Pal held a meeting with the power-men's union to persuade them to call off the strike, but there is no resolution so far.
The protesting employees fear privatization will change their work terms and also drive-up power tariffs.
On Tuesday evening, the Chandigarh administration enforced the Essential Services Maintenance Act, banning strikes by the electricity department for six months.
Officials of the Chandigarh administration claimed they had made arrangements to maintain power supply, but residents and traders in many areas of the city complained of outages. Power cuts have also hit industrial production and manufacturing at some units in the city.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court intervened yesterday and summoned the Union Territory's Chief Engineer on Wednesday.
Justices Ajay Tewari and Pankaj Jain directed the Chief Engineer to inform them about measures taken to alleviate the power crisis in Chandigarh.
"It has been brought to our notice that power supply to large parts of the city of Chandigarh has been disrupted.
In the circumstances, we are constrained to take up this matter on the judicial side and have consequently requested the learned senior standing counsel, UT, Chandigarh to apprise us of the arrangements which the administration is making to ensure that undue hardship is not caused to the residents of the city," the court order said.
The Chandigarh administration's lawyer Anil Mehta told the judges that "the power failure is on account of acts of sabotage by the striking employees."
He said Punjab and Haryana had been asked to lend their power workers to help tide over the crisis.
The court noted the lawyer's statement that Punjab has "expressed its inability to send any person on deputation".
The order said, "This court cannot be oblivious of the fact that disruption of electricity supply is not only affecting the ordinary residents but may affect institutions like hospitals where patients may be on ventilators and other life support systems.
Apart from that there are online examinations and classes are going on. In many cases, virtual hearing has been disrupted in this court also because lawyers are not able to appear due to the fact that there is no electricity in their offices. In such situations, the disruption of electricity supply can cause major damage."
The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now.