Power supply was disrupted across several parts of Gurugram on Thursday as electricity employees began an indefinite strike to protest against the privatisation of power distribution in Haryana. Several residential areas experienced outages, prompting residents to come out on to the streets amid the disruption, according to an India Today report.
Industrial establishments in Daulatabad, Kadipur and Sector 37 were also affected, raising concerns about the impact of the strike on manufacturing and commercial operations in Gurugram, Haryana's financial hub.
The protest follows the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission's (HERC) decision to grant private company Eleven Power a parallel licence to distribute electricity in Gurugram and Nuh for 25 years. The move has drawn strong opposition from electricity employees and their unions.
Haryana government to challenge HERC order in tribunal
On Wednesday, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said the state government would represent the employees' case before the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) to challenge HERC's decision. He also offered to engage lawyers trusted by the workers' unions to pursue the matter.
Saini chaired a review meeting with administrative secretaries to evaluate preparations and arrangements for the three-day strike.
Farmers' and workers' organisations extend support
Several workers' and farmers' organisations have backed the protest. Most constituent organisations of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, along with the Sarv Karamchari Sangh Haryana and trade unions such as CITU, AITUC and INTUC, expressed solidarity with the striking employees and held demonstrations at various locations.
Subhash Lamba, vice president of the Electricity Employees Federation of India (EEFI), and Shailendra Dubey, chairman of the All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF), also opposed the parallel distribution licence and extended their support to the agitation.
Devender Singh Hooda, a senior leader of the Joint Front, said the employees and engineers were not protesting for better salaries or allowances. Instead, he said, their movement was aimed at preventing the privatisation of electricity distribution and protecting the interests of farmers and ordinary consumers.
Apologising for the inconvenience caused to electricity consumers, Hooda maintained that the protest was intended to safeguard affordable and dependable power supply for everyone.
He urged farmers, consumers and members of the public to join the movement and pressure the government to withdraw the parallel distribution licence.
Hooda warned that transferring electricity distribution to private companies could make power more expensive and inaccessible for farmers and economically weaker sections in rural as well as urban areas.
EEFI alleges Haryana government is weakening strike
Lamba alleged that the Haryana government was attempting to weaken the agitation by deploying technical employees and supervisors from neighbouring states, including Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.
Questioning the government's stance on privatisation, the EEFI leader asked: "If the chief minister and the energy minister oppose privatisation and stand with electricity employees, why is a parallel distribution licence being granted to a private company in the first place?"
He said that if legal hurdles were preventing the government from stopping the licensing arrangement, it should consider suitable legal and legislative steps to address the issue. He also pointed out that the BJP was in power at both the state and central levels.
Lamba said the government needed to back its stated opposition to privatisation with tangible measures instead of relying on assurances and public statements.
Anil Vij calls strike unnecessary, urges employees to resume work
Haryana Energy Minister Anil Vij said on Thursday that the strike was unnecessary, arguing that the decision to grant a parallel electricity distribution licence had been taken by HERC.
Vij reiterated his opposition to privatisation, citing the substantial public investment in electricity infrastructure and the potential threat to employees' jobs.
He said the state government had strongly opposed the move but had been unsuccessful in preventing the decision. The government is now challenging the order before APTEL and seeking a stay on the regulatory commission's decision at the earliest, he added.
The minister appealed to the striking employees to end their protest and return to work. He also offered them the option of assisting the government's legal team or recommending a lawyer of their choice.
"If you want to give any advice to our lawyer while preparing the case, give it. If you want to appoint your own lawyer, do so. Or if you want to suggest another lawyer, tell us, and we will hire that lawyer."
(With inputs from news agency PTI)
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