HC blows a fuse over BSES staff power trip

BSES employees received a stay order from the vacation Bench of High Court here on Friday against the strike being carried out by its staff in South and West Delhi. A Bench, headed by Justice Mukta Gupta, restrained the striking contractual employees of BSES Rajdhani Pvt ltd (BRPl) from holding any dharna or demonstration within 100-metre radius of its offices and also prohibited them from obstructing the functioning of the discom or disrupting power supply.

BRPl had moved court against disruption of power supply owing to demonstrations or sabotage by members of Delhi Vidyut Board Employees Union — who are working on contract with the discom.

BRPl had told the court that recently power supply in various parts of South, Central and West Delhi were hit, with people experiencing blackouts for several hours, due to alleged sabotage by the striking contractual workers of the discom. Seeking an order restraining striking workers from interfering with the functioning of the discom in any manner, it said that these workers could disrupt power supply of the entire Capital.

Acting on the plea, court restrained the protesting members of the Delhi Vidyut Board Employees Union from holding gate meetings, demonstrations, dharnas and from undertaking any disruptive or obstructive activity against BRPl or within 100-metre radius its officers and employees. It also restrained them from disrupting the power supply in any manner. 

The court also issued notices to the union and sought its reply on the application moved by BRPl before next date of hearing on July 20.Contractual employees of two BSES distribution companies were reportedly on strike demanding permanent jobs. On Thursday, the striking employees had allegedly sabotaged the power supply in the Capital leading to power outages in several parts of southern and western part of the city, including Greater Kailash, South Extension, Kalkaji, New Friends Colony, Nehru Place etc. 

Earlier in the day, the striking contractual employees agreed to temporarily halt their plans to sabotage the power supply in the city after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal directed Somnath Bharti to talk to the union. Power was restored in the affected places as well.Reacting on the issue, a BRPl spokesperson said that a disciplinary action was initiated against a few of their employees for “gross indiscipline and violating high service standards” of the organisation. “Unfortunately in reaction, a few of the disgruntled contractual employees have resorted to illegal disruption of work at certain places in South and West Delhi. The situation has been largely brought under control by active cooperation of majority of our employees and the police,” said the spokesperson.

Although the union employees’ strike had started earlier this week, they increased its intensity from Wednesday evening leading to discoms asking for Government intervention and police action to end the attacks on their substations.According to officials, normalcy was restored on Friday and no incidents of violence or sabotage were reported on any of the BSES substations.