Chandigarh, 15 December 2024: Several Congress activists were detained on Saturday near the Sector 18-19 light point as they marched toward Punjab Raj Bhawan to protest the privatisation of the Chandigarh electricity department.
Led by Chandigarh Congress president HS Lucky, protesters carried placards and black flags, denouncing what they described as a sell-off of public assets. The demonstration drew a diverse group, including members of residents’ welfare associations, villagers, and non-governmental groups, according to Congress officials.
Around noon, the marchers faced a heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces, which blocked their path. During the confrontation, Lucky and other senior Congress leaders were detained and taken to the Sector 19 police station.
Addressing the demonstrators before the march, Lucky claimed that Chandigarh’s electricity department, an efficient and profitable public utility, was being handed over “on a platter to a private entity with ties to the BJP.” He cited the department’s low tariffs and minimal line losses, stating, “Chandigarh’s electricity department has one of the lowest tariffs and best complaint resolution times in the country. This move is a direct attack on an effective public service.”
The Congress delegation later submitted a memorandum to UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit through DSP Dilbagh Singh.
The document expressed concerns that privatisation would lead to steep hikes in electricity tariffs, negatively impacting city residents. It urged the administration to withdraw the decision in public interest.
The party accused the BJP of imposing heavy taxes during its eight-year rule of the municipal corporation and now burdening citizens further by privatising electricity transmission.
Those detained during the protest were released later in the day, Congress officials confirmed.