Puducherry power crisis: Govt wants Power Grid Corp to step in

The Puducherry government has requested the Union Government to provide the services of Power Grid Corporation of India officials to tackle the crisis in the power sector of the union territory. Notably, the employees of the electricity department of the Union Territory have been on an indefinite strike since September 28. The Power Grid Corporation of India Limited is a central public sector undertaking under the ownership of the Ministry of Power and is in charge of transmission of bulk power. Puducherry power workers are protesting against the government's move of inviting tender to privatise power distribution. The Union Territory is facing a crisis with several parts plunging into darkness after some electricity staff allegedly took away fuse wires in some places.

Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan has warned agitating employees of evoking stringent action of the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against them. On October 1 night, some parts of the state witnessed power cuts for five to seven hours and in some places, it continued till Sunday, October 2. People blocked the roads in Villianur and Ariyapalayam.

State Home minister A Namassivayam, who also holds the electricity portfolio, called an urgent meeting of the police officials and requested an additional deployment of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). In rural areas of Sedrapet and Madagadipet, protestors blocked the road for hours on Sunday leading to the local legislators taking up the matter with the home minister.

Namassivayam held an emergency meeting with top police brass and the state Chief Secretary Rajeev Verma in the late hours of Sunday. The Directorate General (DG) of Police, UT of Puducherry, Manoj Kumar Lal was also present.

"We will not allow anyone to take law in their hands and taking away fuse carriers in substations leaving the general public including patients at the hospital at their mercy can never be allowed. We have requested the central government to deploy the services of Power Grid of India officials to control the situation as well as two companies of paramilitary force to stand guard at the power stations in the territory," he told IANS.