Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday assured electricity employees that the state government would strongly contest the grant of a parallel power distribution licence to a private company in Gurugram and Nuh districts, while appealing to unions to defer their proposed three-day statewide strike beginning Thursday.
Saini said the government stood firmly with power employees and would challenge the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission's (HERC) decision before the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL). He also offered to engage lawyers trusted by the unions to pursue the case.
The Haryana Bijli Karamchari and Engineers Joint Sangharsh Morcha has called the strike to protest the grant of a parallel electricity distribution licence to Eleven Power Private Limited.
In an order dated October 19, HERC granted the company a 25-year distribution licence covering Gurugram and Nuh districts under Section 14 of the Electricity Act, 2003.
๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ
Chairing a high-level review meeting in Chandigarh, Saini said the state government had opposed HERC's decision alongside the power employees' unions.
He said the government had decided to approach APTEL in accordance with the unions' demand and was prepared to pursue the matter through lawyers of their choice.
Reiterating that the government's doors remained open for dialogue, the chief minister urged the unions to reconsider their agitation in the larger public interest.
Energy Minister Anil Vij said the government would explore every available legal remedy to challenge the regulatory decision.
"We will first contest the matter before APTEL and, if necessary, take it to the Supreme Court. We stand firmly with the electricity employees and will continue this legal battle to the very end," Vij said.
The minister maintained that the government had neither invited applications nor sought proposals for privatisation of electricity distribution.
He explained that HERC was an autonomous regulatory body established under central electricity legislation, which allows eligible entities to apply directly for distribution licences.
Vij said the licence had been granted following an application by the private company, but the state government disagreed with the decision and had opposed it.
๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ
The chief minister reviewed contingency arrangements for the proposed strike with senior administrative and police officials.
Energy Minister Vij, Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi and Director General of Police Ajay Singhal attended the meeting, while deputy commissioners from all districts participated virtually.
Saini directed district administrations to ensure that electricity supply remained uninterrupted and that residents did not face inconvenience during the agitation.
He instructed departments to take proactive measures to prevent disruptions and ensure the protection of power infrastructure.
The chief minister also ordered drone surveillance of sensitive electricity installations to strengthen monitoring during the strike.
๐ฒ,๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐น ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ
DGP Ajay Singhal informed the meeting that adequate security arrangements had been made across Haryana in anticipation of the strike.
A total of 6,230 police personnel have been deployed at 1,015 locations across the state's districts to maintain security and safeguard essential infrastructure.
Saini also directed deputy commissioners to identify alternative technical manpower to support electricity operations if required.
He said district administrations could enlist technical employees from other government departments, skilled personnel working in industries and final-year students of polytechnic colleges and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs).
However, he emphasised that such personnel must be provided with appropriate safety kits before being assigned duties and that all prescribed safety measures should be followed.
๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น
The state government has also initiated precautionary measures to ensure that essential healthcare services are not affected by any disruption in electricity supply.
Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Sumita Misra, directed all civil surgeons and principal medical officers across Haryana to ensure uninterrupted functioning of hospitals and other healthcare institutions during the three-day strike.
The instructions are aimed at maintaining critical medical services and ensuring that healthcare facilities remain operational throughout the proposed agitation.
Meanwhile, Vij reiterated the government's willingness to engage with the unions, saying that disputes could be resolved through dialogue.
He maintained that the administration remained committed to defending the interests of electricity employees while ensuring that essential public services continued without disruption.