Haryana power strike disrupts supply as workers oppose private distributor’s entry

New Delhi: Electricity breakdowns remained unattended in parts of Haryana on Thursday as power employees began a three-day strike against a parallel distribution licence granted to a private company in Gurugram and Nuh, affecting residential supply and industrial operations.

The Haryana Bijli Karamchari and Engineers Joint Sangharsh Morcha, which called the strike, said around 40,000 employees had participated. The forum claimed the disruption extended to water services and other essential activities across the state.

Follow The PSUWatch Channel on Whatsapp

The strike comes despite the state government’s assurance that it would challenge the licensing decision before the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL).

Private firm gets 25-year licence

In an order dated October 19, the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) granted Eleven Power Private Limited a parallel electricity distribution licence for 25 years in the revenue districts of Gurugram and Nuh under Section 14 of the Electricity Act, 2003.

The licence allows the company to supply electricity alongside the existing state-owned distribution companies.

HERC is a three-member statutory regulator. Its chairperson and members are appointed by the state government on the recommendation of a selection committee.

Breakdowns remain unattended

The employees’ forum said numerous 33 kV and 11 kV feeders affected by breakdowns remained out of service because of widespread participation in the strike.

Power disruptions affected urban and rural residential areas, while outages on industrial feeders hit production, it said. Complaint centres, substations and offices at sub-divisional, divisional and circle levels were largely deserted, according to the forum.

Most constituent organisations of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, Sarv Karamchari Sangh Haryana and trade unions including CITU, AITUC and INTUC supported the strike and held demonstrations at various locations.

Electricity Employees Federation of India (EEFI) vice president Subhash Lamba and All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) Chairman Shailendra Dubey also opposed the licence and expressed solidarity with the workers.

Government promises legal challenge

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said on Wednesday that the government would represent the employees’ case before APTEL and was prepared to engage lawyers trusted by their unions.

He also reviewed arrangements for the three-day strike with administrative secretaries.

On Thursday, Energy Minister Anil Vij described the strike as unnecessary, saying the decision to grant the licence had been taken by HERC.

Vij said he opposed privatisation, citing the public money invested in power infrastructure and concerns over employees’ jobs. The government had opposed the move before the regulator and was now pursuing an appeal and seeking an early stay on the order, he said.

Urging employees to resume duties, Vij invited them to assist with the legal challenge.

"If you want to give any advice to our lawyer while preparing the case, give it. If you want to appoint your own lawyer, do so. Or if you want to suggest another lawyer, tell us, and we will hire that lawyer."

Unions demand concrete action

Joint Front leader Devender Singh Hooda said the strike concerned the future of electricity distribution and consumer interests, rather than demands for higher salaries or allowances.

Expressing regret over the inconvenience to consumers, he argued that the movement sought to protect affordable and reliable electricity. He appealed to farmers and other consumers to support the demand for revocation of the licence.

Hooda warned that private participation could make electricity less affordable for farmers and economically weaker households.

Follow PSU Watch on LinkedIN

Lamba alleged that the government was seeking to weaken the strike by bringing technical staff and supervisors from neighbouring states, including Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

"If the chief minister and the energy minister oppose privatisation and stand with electricity employees, why is a parallel distribution licence being granted to a private company in the first place?" he asked.

He urged the government to examine legal and legislative options to stop the arrangement and demonstrate its opposition through concrete action.

With the government pursuing a legal challenge and unions continuing their protest, consumers and industrial users faced the immediate consequences of delayed repairs and interrupted supply.

(PSU Watch is India's Business News centre that places the spotlight on PSUs, Bureaucracy, Defence and Public Policy. 👉 Click to join our channel now: PSUWatch WhatsApp Channel. Prefer LinkedIn? Follow PSU Watch on LinkedIN. Click to stay connected on Twitter here and stay updated.)