Power dept protest: Brief power cut at 2 UP ministers' event in Greater Noida

Power supply disruption played spoilsport during a programme attended by two Uttar Pradesh government ministers in Greater Noida on Sunday, amid the statewide protest by a section of electricity department employees.

The disruption lasted for around two minutes at the India Expo Centre and Mart before the power supply was resumed at the venue through generators, according to a person who attended the programme.

The power disruption had left the event hall -- that included the two ministers and scores of audience members -- in darkness, the person said, as purported video clips of the episode surfaced on social media.

UP Industrial Development Minister Nand Gopal Gupta and MSME Minister Rakesh Sachan arrived at the Expo Centre and Mart on Sunday morning for the curtain raiser event of the first UP International Trade Show, according to an official press communiqué.

There was no immediate response by local government officials over the power supply disruption.

A section of power department employees across Uttar Pradesh is on strike since Friday, leading to disruptions in electricity supply in various areas. The employees have alleged that some of their demands relating to pay anomalies and outsourcing of operation and maintenance of power sub-stations, agreed to by the state government in December last year, have not been fulfilled by power corporations even after three months.

Uttar Pradesh Energy Minister A K Sharma had on Saturday warned of stern action against the employees on strike but maintained that the government was trying to establish a dialogue with the protestors to end the impasse.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)