Chandigarh: A joint front of Haryana power engineers and employees has announced a state-wide agitation against the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (HERC) decision to grant a 25-year parallel power distribution licence to Eleven Power Private Limited for Gurugram and Nuh revenue districts.
The decision was taken during an emergency meeting of the front in Karnal on Monday evening. Joint front spokesperson Baljit Beniwal said protesters will burn effigies of Union energy minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, and HERC chairman Mukesh Garg on Tuesday across multiple locations.
“Handing over high-revenue industrial and commercial hubs like Gurugram and Nuh to a private player is a direct attempt to cripple the state-owned Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN),” Beniwal said, adding that the state government plans to hand over more districts to private entities in the future.
This will be followed by a three-day strike from October 22 to 24. On the final day of the strike, the front plans to announce its next phase of action.
On October 21, employees will burn copies of the HERC ruling, which they labelled a “black order”, at various places in the state. Terming the order a “black day” in the state’s history, Beniwal alleged that the ruling amounts to “indirect privatisation” of Haryana’s power sector.”
