HT had reported on August 26 that the expert committee had recommended that the licence may be granted.
Former Haryana finance minister Sampat Singh on Saturday termed the report of the expert committee constituted by the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) to examine the petition of a private company seeking a parallel power distribution licence in Gurugram and Nuh as a “calculated blueprint for corporate plunder”.
In a statement, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader accused the authorities of sabotaging state-owned power utilities to benefit private corporate entities at the expense of Haryana’s farmers, rural households and common electricity consumers. Singh also raised concerns over the manner in which the hearings were conducted, claiming that public representatives, farmers and other stakeholders were excluded. Singh also expressed concern over the proposed rollout in Nuh.
DHBVN derives nearly 42% of its total revenue from the high-density industrial hubs of Gurugram, he said. “The private applicant selectively targets these lucrative 220 kV and 66 kV industrial consumers, allocating a token investment of just ₹ 1.52 crore and ₹ 2.34 crore for Gurugram City over its first two years. He said that despite Section 43 of the Electricity Act imposing a mandatory universal service obligation (USO), the panel had accepted a phased rollout covering a mere 2.5% to 15% market share without enforcing binding timelines for rural supply.
“HERC had committed an abdication of its statutory, quasi-judicial duties under Section 84 of the Electricity Act, 2003, by outsourcing its primary evaluation powers to an ad hoc external panel,” he said. Singh said the private applicant’s business plan appeared to focus on “cherry-picking”. By siphoning off high-margin commercial consumers, the private entity could affect DHBVNL’s cross-subsidy mechanism,” Singh said.
He also questioned the policy of creating a separate agricultural utility. He alleged that including Nuh in the proposed licence area could primarily help meet the geographic criteria. In Nuh, where aggregate transmission and commercial (AT&C) losses stand at 42%, Singh said the proposed investment appeared insufficient to ensure reliable rural connections.
