Gurugram Power Strike Plunges City into Darkness

Gurugram experienced widespread power outages and water shortages as thousands of households were affected by a three-day strike initiated by Haryana electricity department employees. The industrial sector also suffered, with nearly 1,800 manufacturing units reporting disruptions to their operations.

The strike began on Wednesday night, protesting the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission's (HERC) October 19 decision to grant a parallel electricity distribution licence to Eleven Power Private Limited for Gurugram and Nuh. This move by HERC has led approximately 40,000 electricity department employees across Haryana to join the protest.

Residential areas, industrial clusters, and rural regions were impacted, with thousands of complaints lodged. Manufacturers expressed concerns about significant financial losses and delivery delays due to halted production. Attempts to use diesel generator sets were limited by operational constraints and pollution control regulations.

The state government has announced its intention to challenge the HERC order before the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL). Energy Minister Anil Vij, while opposing privatization and expressing concern for employee jobs, urged the striking workers to return to duty and participate in the legal recourse.