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Chandigarh Police on Saturday arrested several Congress workers near the Sector 18-19 light point as they took to the streets to gherao the Raj Bhawan in protest against the privatisation of the Chandigarh Electricity Department.
In a press release, Congress chief spokesperson Rajeev Sharma stated that prominent citizens from various resident welfare associations, villages, and NGOs joined the protest. Notably, women participants outnumbered men at the event. The agitated party workers, led by Congress president H.S. Lucky, marched forward carrying placards and black flags to gherao the Punjab Raj Bhawan at noon. However, they were stopped by a heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces. Despite Lucky and other senior leaders being arrested and taken to the Sector 19 police station, the workers continued their protest. Addressing a large gathering of workers, Lucky alleged that the Chandigarh Electricity Department, a well-organised and profitable entity, was being handed over to a private businessman who had previously donated to the BJP's election fund. He highlighted that the department is highly efficient and public-friendly, with the lowest tariff in the country, a line loss of only 10%, and the shortest complaint resolution time for power supply issues nationwide. The Congress party submitted a memorandum to the UT Administrator through DSP Dilbag Singh, expressing concerns that the privatisation would lead to skyrocketing electricity rates. They claimed that the department's valuable immovable properties, worth hundreds of crores, were being handed over for a nominal sum. The Congress leaders also accused the BJP of imposing excessive taxes during their tenure in the Municipal Corporation and further burdening Chandigarh residents by privatising the power transmission sector. They alleged that the Central Government was selling national assets to businessmen, comparing the situation to the recent controversies surrounding Adani, and stated that another such businessman was being favoured in Chandigarh. Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress lamented his recent visit to Chandigarh, during which he allegedly ignored the city's pressing issues. They also accused him of indifference towards the communal unrest in Manipur. The protesters arrested during the demonstration were later released. (ANI)
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