Title - Power strike hits train services

Nellore: People of Seemandhra region was put to hardships as the entire region went without power since Sunday morning in view of indefinite strike by electricity employees including contract workers.

Entire SPSR Nellore is without power since Sunday morning and train services were also hit.

Trains services between Vijayawada and Chennai ran behind schedule from one to three hours and the situation led to cancellation of some trains.

Important trains such as Coromandel Express have been towed using diesel engine when they were halted midway because of power shutdown.

Pinakini Express bound for Vijayawada and Jana Shatabdi Express bound for Chennai have been cancelled. Navjeevan Express bound for Ahmadabad reached Nellore 3 hours behind schedule.

According to information Seema Andhra Vidyut Employees (Save) JAC members managed to switch off power in all major sub-stations including 220 KV and 132 KV in the morning and this led to power shutdown all over the district.

Not only Nellore city, all municipalities and mandals bore the brunt and first handicap was the protected water supply being supplied in panchayats, municipalities and corporation.

APSPDCL Nellore unit superintending engineer Nandakumar said that he is holding a meeting with the JAC members to convince them to restore power since it is creating innumerable problems to the people of the district.

Meanwhile, power was restored section-wise from 6 pm in city after authorities convinced the employees to restore power at least for few hours to enable people to store water. Efforts are on to provide power to villages at least for few hours to operate drinking water schemes.