Industrialists in Haryana have warned of mounting production losses and supply chain disruptions as a three-day strike by electricity employees began on Wednesday, with industrial units in Karnal, Ambala, Panipat and Bahadurgarh reporting power outages and delays in fault rectification. Manoj Arora, Secretary, Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said power supply to two of the four feeders serving the HSIIDC industrial area in Karnal had been disrupted on Wednesday morning. The industrial area in the district had been without electricity since midnight, he said adding that industrialists in Ambala and Panipat had reported similar problems. Mr. Arora attributed the delays in restoring power to the shortage of staff. The deployment of a few private workers in Karnal had proved inadequate to address complaints, he said. “Many industrialists had removed their generators because of pollution-related restrictions. As a result, around 50% of industries do not have generators today, and those factories are shut,” he said.
Financial implications
Warning of the financial implications during the festive season, Mr. Arora said three days of lost production could translate into a 10% reduction in monthly output. With profit margins in several businesses ranging between 5% and 7%, the disruption could push units into losses. Delayed deliveries could also lead to withholding of payments for months, affecting cash flows and loan repayments, he added. In Bahadurgarh, Narinder Chhikara, senior vice-president, Bahadurgarh Chamber of Commerce and Industries and the Footwear Park Association, said around 2,200–2,300 industrial units in Sectors 16, 17 and 4B had been affected. Factories had begun reporting outages around 8 a.m., he said. Mr. Chhikara said pollution-control restrictions had made generators an impractical alternative. Generator-produced electricity costs ₹48–50 a unit, against ₹8–9 for grid supply, making production financially unviable. He estimated that Bahadurgarh had 8,000–9,000 factories in total. The district administration was attempting to facilitate restoration, but lacked the technical resources to undertake repairs, he said. Gaurav, who runs a livestock feed manufacturing unit in Karnal, said the disruption was affecting 20–25 factories in his area. Interruptions in feed supplies could have serious consequences for poultry farms dependent on regular deliveries, he said, adding that repeated attempts to contact electricity officials and the Deputy Commissioner had not yielded a satisfactory response. Vikash Gupta, general secretary, Manesar Industries Welfare Association, said there had been no major impact in his area so far, but warned that any fault could make restoration difficult. “I believe any kind of strike will impact the society on the whole. Having said that if the performance and efficiency of the electricity distribution companies, staff and workers was even at 30%, there was probably no need to privatise the distribution companies. This particular strike is against the first step towards privatisation,” he said. Both Mr. Arora and Mr. Chhikara urged the State government to intervene and resolve the dispute, citing the potential economic impact during the Diwali season.
Published - October 23, 2026 12:44 am IST