The three-day strike by electricity employees in Haryana has ended following a meeting between union leaders, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and Energy Minister Anil Vij on Friday. The decision came after negotiations over the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (HERC) move to grant a private company a licence to distribute electricity in Gurugram and Nuh.
The meeting was held at the PWD Rest House in Panchkula and was attended by senior officials from the state government and the power department. The discussions focused on the concerns raised by electricity employees over the proposed parallel distribution of power by a private company in the two districts.
Following the meeting, electricity employee union leaders announced the end of the strike.
Haryana CM Saini Assures Employees, Says No Privatisation
Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said the Haryana government had directed the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) to review the matter under Section 108 of the Electricity Act, 2003, and effectively cancel the provision related to the disputed decision.
Speaking after the meeting with electricity employees’ union leaders on Friday, Saini reiterated the government’s support for the employees and said the HERC was an independent body functioning under its own legislation.
“We have consistently maintained that we stand fully with the electricity employees’ union, and we reiterate that position today,” Saini said.
He explained that the HERC issues directions and recommendations under its governing law, which the state government is sometimes required to implement. However, the government had now exercised its authority under Section 108 to ask the commission to review the matter.
“Our position is absolutely firm; there will be no privatisation of any kind,” the Chief Minister said, reaffirming the state government’s stand on the issue.
Haryana Electricity Employees End Three-Day Strike
The strike had disrupted electricity services in several parts of Haryana, including Gurugram, Faridabad and Nuh. Residents reported prolonged power cuts, water shortages and internet connectivity problems, while work-from-home employees and industrial units were also affected.
In several areas, households struggled with extended outages after inverter backups ran out. Residents had also complained about difficulties contacting electricity department officials to report faults and seek restoration of supply.
The strike was scheduled to continue until October 24, but employees called it off following Friday’s discussions with the state government.
Why Were Haryana Electricity Employees On Strike?
The Haryana Electricity Employees and Engineers Joint Struggle Front called the three-day statewide strike to oppose HERC’s decision to grant a 25-year electricity distribution licence to Eleven Power Private Limited for Gurugram and Nuh.
The licence allows the private company to distribute electricity in the two districts alongside the existing state-run distribution companies.
The employees’ unions have opposed the move, arguing that introducing a private distributor could pave the way for wider privatisation of the power sector, weaken state-owned utilities and put employees’ interests at risk. They had demanded the withdrawal of the licence and a clear policy against parallel electricity distribution licences.
The strike began on the night of October 21, with electricity supply disruptions reported from several districts as employees stopped attending to routine breakdown complaints.