Hostage crisis of power utility employees ends

The three-day-long hostage crisis involving employees of the Bharatiya Rail Bijlee Company Ltd (BRBCL) and their family members in Bihar's Aurangabad has come to an end, officials said.

The impasse was resolved during a meeting on Tuesday evening, where it was decided that BRBCL would supply power to villages till the South Bihar Power Distribution Company Ltd (SBPDCL) provides electricity connection.

"The deadlock has been resolved," Aurangabad District Magistrate Rahul Ranjan Mahiwal told PTI, but refused to elaborate on the issue.

Representatives of Aurangabad district administration, BRBCL and the villagers who held around 150 of its employees and their family members hostage since Sunday, demanding restoration of power in their villages, attended the meeting.

The 1,000-MW power plant located in Aurangabad is a joint venture between the NTPC and the railways.

When contacted, Nabinagar Circle Officer Rakesh Kumar said, "An agreement has been reached between villagers and the BRBCL management, under which power supply to the villages will be restored until SBPDCL gives electricity connection to villagers."
Vishwanath Chandan, NTPC Public Relations Manager, told PTI, "The BRBCL management has taken the decision on humanitarian grounds. The issue will be permanently settled with the help of local administration in a time-bound manner."