Electricity workers' anger erupted against the Chandigarh Administration and CPDL. A massive protest called for intensifying the struggle.

Electricity workers' anger erupted against the Chandigarh Administration and CPDL. A massive protest called for intensifying the struggle.

Chandigarh 16 October ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : Following the call of the UT Powermen Union, Chandigarh, electricity workers held a massive protest in front of the electricity office, New Power House, Industrial Area, Phase 1, today against the adamant and negative attitude of Chandigarh Administration officials. A large number of employees from various subdivisions and divisions of the electricity sector participated in the protest. Pensioners also joined in large numbers.

In the protest, while opposing the sending of employees to the company without taking any option from the Chandigarh Administration, the administration should adjust the employees in other departments of the administration, the administration should promote the employees as per the notified rules from the previous date, the withheld bonus of the employees, dearness allowance, children allowance, increment arrears, payment of medical bills, uniform allowance, and giving bonus to the outsourced employees under the Bonus Act as per the instructions of the Central Government, allotment and repair of houses, payment of arrears of 9-16-23 years, adjusting the outsourced employees in the company on a permanent basis and making the part-time employees full-time, payment of pension, gratuity, GPF of the retired employees by the administration, and early payment of around 600-700 pending medical bills of the pensioner employees, etc., and the negative attitude of the Chandigarh administration on the demands was strongly condemned. Addressing the protest, Union General Secretary and Federation Chairman Gopal Dutt Joshi, President Amrik Singh, Senior Vice President Sukhwinder Singh Sidhu, Gurmeet Singh, Vinay Prasad, Kashmir Singh, Virendra Singh, Surjeet Singh, Ramgopal, Lalit Singh, Resham Singh, Harjinder Singh, Tekraj etc. strongly condemned the Chandigarh Administration, especially the officers of the Engineering Department, accusing them of openly reneging on the promises made and said that these officers have attacked the interests of the employees and demanded a CBI inquiry into the scam of crores of rupees that took place in the process of privatization of the Electricity Department. Addressing the protest, Federation of UT Employees and Workers Chandigarh President Rajendra Katoch, General Secretary Harkesh Chand, Horticulture General Secretary M.M. Subrahmanyam, Public Health President Harpal Singh, ICCW's Bihari Lal, Pensioners Union President Ujagar Singh Mohi, Senior Vice President Ram Sarup, Vijay Singh General Secretary Sucha Singh, etc. demanded a high-level investigation into the activities of Chief Engineer C.B. Ojha, Superintendent Engineer Anil Dhamija, and Executive Engineer Umakant Patel. Finally, Union President Amrik Singh thanked the large turnout and warned that this year, electricity employees would celebrate a black Diwali against the administration's tyranny. The speakers appealed to all employees to participate in large numbers in the protest being held on November 12, 2025, at the call of the Federation of UT Employees and Workers Chandigarh.