Electricity Employees in Haryana are on a 3-Day Strike against Privatisation

Electricity employees and engineers in Haryana are on a three-day statewide strike from October 22 to October 24, 2026, protesting the grant of a 25-year parallel power distribution license to a private firm, Eleven Power Private Limited, in Gurugram and Nuh. The strike is organized by the Haryana Electricity Employees and Engineers Joint Action Front. Employees burnt the effigies of the Haryana CM, Union power minister Manohar Lal Khattar, and HERC chairman.

Key Details of the Strike

• Dates: October 22 to October 24, 2026
• Cause of Protest: The Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) decision to award a 25-year parallel distribution license to Eleven Power Private Limited, which unions fear is “backdoor privatization” that threatens jobs and cross-subsidies for farmers.
• Impacted Areas: Severe power cuts, water supply disruptions, and internet/communication issues have hit Gurugram, Nuh, and other parts of the state.
• Employee Concerns: Around 40,000 regular, contractual, and outsourced employees and engineers fear job security risks and the weakening of state-run utilities like DHBVN.

Workers state that allowing a private company to cherry-pick profitable commercial circles will financially drain the state-owned Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN). Unions argue that without high-revenue corporate clients, the state utility will no longer be able to sustain subsidized electricity rates for farmers and low-income families.

Impact of Strike

The ongoing strike has severely impacted public services and highlighted the legal clash between the state regulatory body and the local government. In the first 12 hours of the strike alone, Gurugram recorded more than 3,000 unattended power complaints. Faults are being left unaddressed because field workers refuse to operate. Major manufacturing hubs in Gurugram, including Daulatabad, Kadipur, and Sector 37, are facing severe power cuts. This is heavily slowing down industrial production. The crisis has spread beyond Gurugram and Nuh to other districts like Hisar, Kaithal, and Karnal. Prolonged blackouts have drained residential inverters, knocking out domestic water pumps and internet routers.

How is the Government handling the situation?

The administration has recalled officers/employees from leave, requested technical staff support from neighboring states (Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, UP, Rajasthan), and directed local authorities to maintain emergency supplies to hospitals and the Metro.

Energy Minister Anil Vij has publicly labeled the HERC decision as “unwarranted”. He explained that because HERC functions as an independent regulatory body under central law, the state government could not block the private firm’s initial application.

The state government plans to appeal to the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) within 5 to 6 days to get an immediate stay order. If APTEL refuses, the minister stated the government is prepared to escalate the case to the Supreme Court of India. Minister Vij has urged union leaders to call off the strike and return to work, asking them instead to help the state’s legal team build a stronger court case against privatization.