Gurugram, October 22: A strike by electricity employees has disrupted power and water supply across large parts of Haryana. Workers are protesting a regulatory order that allows a private company to distribute electricity in Gurugram and Nuh.
What happened
– Workers of Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) stopped work from 10 pm on Wednesday, October 21.
– Gurugram, Faridabad and Nuh went dark. The power department got more than 3,000 outage complaints in the first 12 hours.
– By Thursday, outages were reported in about 15 districts, including Gurugram, Faridabad, Hisar, Karnal, Panipat, Rohtak, Kaithal, Panchkula and Ambala.
– Outages were reported even in Power Minister Anil Vij’s Ambala Cantonment constituency.
Impact on daily life
– Prolonged cuts drained home inverters and stopped water pumps. Residents in Gurugram said tanks were full but water could not reach homes.
– Wi-Fi and internet services were hit, disrupting office work and students’ studies.
– In Faridabad’s NIT area, residents blocked a road after losing both power and water.
– In Nuh, Punhana, Nagina and Firozpur Jhirka were badly affected.
– Several industrial units in Gurugram came to a halt. Owners warned of losses running to crores of rupees.
– The district administration directed officials to keep power running to hospitals, drinking water pumping stations and metro rail.
Why the employees are striking
– On October 19, the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) granted Eleven Power Private Limited a 25-year parallel electricity distribution licence for Gurugram and Nuh.
– This is Haryana’s first parallel distribution licence. It covers over 8.3 lakh consumers.
– Under the model, the existing utility keeps serving its consumers. Consumers can switch to the new company once its network reaches their area.
– The company plans a capital investment of Rs 4,717 crore between FY 2026-27 and FY 2030-31. Supply is expected from FY 2027-28.
– The strike is called by the Haryana Electricity Employees and Engineers Joint Struggle Front. It is scheduled to continue until October 24.
– Unions see the licence as privatisation of power distribution. They fear job losses and the loss of DHBVN’s most profitable consumers.
Political reaction and background
– On October 19, Anil Vij said the state government will challenge the HERC order before the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL).
– In August, employees called off a planned three-day strike after Vij said the Energy Department had opposed the licence from the start. He said the application went directly to HERC, an autonomous body.
– Opposition leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda had criticised the licence as a move towards privatisation. The INLD said Gurugram is a revenue-rich district and called the move a loot of public assets.
– Eleven Power says the order gives consumers a choice of distributor and promises non-discriminatory supply to all consumer categories.
What next
– The strike is scheduled to run until October 24. Restoration of supply and any talks between the government and unions remain the key things to watch.
– The state’s appeal before APTEL is the next legal step.
