Haryana power strike ends: Why workers went on strike and what state govt has promised them

The agreement followed protests by electricity workers and engineers against a parallel distribution licence granted to Eleven Power Private Limited. Government orders review Addressing a joint press conference with union representatives, Saini said the government had invoked Section 108 of the Electricity Act to direct the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) to review the contentious order and cancel the provision.

“Our position is absolutely firm; there will be no privatisation of any kind,” Saini said. Officials’ phones are off’: Why are Gurugram residents left in the dark? He acknowledged that HERC functions as an independent regulator, but said the government had decided to exercise its statutory authority after discussions with employees. Union representatives said the chief minister had assured them that private players would not be allowed into the state’s power sector and parallel distribution licences would be revoked.

The announcement outlined the government’s proposed intervention, with Vij saying an application seeking a review of the regulator’s order would also be filed. No applications invited, says Vij Vij said the state government had neither invited applications for privatisation nor supported the regulator’s decision. He explained that provisions of the central Electricity Act allow entities to apply directly to the regulator.

“We, however, strongly opposed this before the regulator from the very first day,” he said. According to Vij, discussions with union leaders led to an agreement to use Section 108 to seek a halt to the decision on the grounds that it departed from government policy. The minister said he and Saini had signed a letter directing the department to take immediate action. A follow-up meeting has been scheduled for November 3 at 3 pm to discuss pending issues and provide a point-by-point account of progress.

Licence covers Gurugram and Nuh The dispute centres on HERC’s October 19 order granting Eleven Power Private Limited a 25-year parallel electricity distribution licence for Gurugram and Nuh districts. The order envisaged a second distributor operating alongside the existing supplier, potentially giving more than 8.3 lakh electricity consumers a choice of electricity provider as the new network expanded.

These consumers include households, farmers, shops, offices and industrial units. The network was to be developed in phases over five years, with Nuh included in the first phase. Under the order, existing consumers would not need to take immediate action and the current distributor would continue supplying electricity. Switching would become an option as the new network reached consumers’ areas. The company was required to submit a detailed implementation plan for the first phase, along with a consumer-switching protocol, within 60 days. The arrangement draws on Section 14 of the Electricity Act, 2003, which permits more than one distribution licensee to operate in the same area.