Several parts of Gurugram, Faridabad and Nuh districts are reeling from power outages, water disruptions and other problems as Haryana's electricity department employees stage a protest against the privatisation of power distribution. According to news agency PTI, more than 3,000 electricity-related complaints were received on the first day of the strike in Gurugram.
The demonstration, which will continue until October 25, began following 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 strike by Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) workers has also affected electricity supply in Gurugram, Faridabad and Nuh districts since 10 pm on Wednesday.
In Faridabad, people in the New Industrial Township-2 area took to the streets, demanding the restoration of power supply. They said the power cuts had also affected water supply.
Industrial establishments in Gurugram's 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 capital city.
Several entrepreneurs, including Maini in Gurugram, reported losses due to prolonged power cuts.
Industrial units in Kadipur and Basai were also affected by the outages.
"Power cuts at industrial units have brought machinery and production to a halt, impacting business operations. With operations suspended across hundreds of units, the risk of losses has increased," Maini was quoted as saying by PTI.
How are power cuts affecting Gurugram residents?
Several residential colonies in Gurugram were forced to rely on generators after their inverter backups ran out, residents said.
The prolonged power cuts also disrupted water supplies in several areas, leaving residents facing a shortage of drinking water. Residents said they were relying on water stored in tanks but warned that the reserves would last only a few more hours.
"Electricity and water are both essential services. Where is the government? Residents are held hostage by DHBVN staff. There has been no power since 10 pm yesterday. Either the government should settle employees' demands or depute the Disaster Management team to restore the supply. Officers are also showing helplessness. In such a situation, how will we come up with a solution?" said Shiv Kumar Sharma, a resident, according to PTI.
Haryana government challenge the HERC order
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 assess preparations and arrangements for the three-day strike.
Which farmers' and workers' organisations have backed the protest?
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.
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