Nearly 150 TANGEDCO workers went on a flash strike in Ooty today following reported threat from a senior district official when they went to his house to cut the power supply because he didn’t pay the electricity bill.

According to the police, a line inspector and some workers had gone to the house of the local District Revenue Officer, Bhaskarapandian to disconnect the power supply because he didn’t pay the electricity bill amount of Rs.1,120 (Rs.1,188 and fine for late payment).

Bhaskarapandian threatened to file a case of trespassing into his house against the line inspector and the workers. According to line inspector Vijayaraghavan, Bhaskarapandian directed them to collect the bill payments from the Municipality.

Angered by this, the workers returned and complained to their higher officials, after which more than 140 workers gathered at the Tangedco office and refused to work. They said that the public will also start following the senior official, who had threatened them.

The workers and staff left after office hours, along with the leaders of the trade unions. No work was done throughout the day. Bhaskarapandian, who was at Pandalur, supervising the transportation of a killer elephant, was unavailable for comments.