Haryana Power Workers Plan Three-Day Strike Against 25-Year Private Licence

Electricity workers in India’s Haryana state are preparing a three-day strike over a new 25-year private distribution licence that threatens to reshape who supplies power to households and who controls the infrastructure behind an essential public service. The dispute has produced an unusual alignment: unions are resisting the decision, and the state government itself says it will challenge the regulator’s approval.

The Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) has authorized Eleven Power Private Limited to provide distribution service in Gurugram and Nuh alongside the established state-run Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVNL). This is a parallel licence, not an announced outright sale of the existing public utility. That distinction matters: the immediate struggle is over competition, investment, control of the power network and the future of public-service employment.

Workers call action for October 22–24

The Haryana Bijli Karamchari and Engineers Sanyukt Sangharsh Morcha, a joint front of electricity employees and engineers, has announced escalating protests and a statewide strike scheduled for October 22, 23 and 24. The unions describe the licence as a route toward indirect privatization and warn that siphoning higher-value consumers toward a private operator could weaken the finances of the state utility.

The strike dates are upcoming, not a completed event. The number of workers who will participate, the effect on electricity service and any eventual settlement remain to be seen. For workers, the confrontation concerns not only jobs but the public system that has built and maintained a network serving homes, farms, businesses and industry.

A private promise meets a public obligation

Eleven Power has outlined a plan to invest around ₹4,716.73 crore over five years, with power supply expected from 2027–28 and a potential consumer base of more than 830,000 in the licence area. The projected investment and supply timetable are company plans, not completed construction or a demonstrated record of service. Residents have raised long-standing concerns about interruptions and delays, and some local groups welcome another supplier as a possible way to improve reliability.

That argument cannot simply be dismissed. Households deserve reliable electricity, timely connections and effective complaint resolution. Yet there is no automatic guarantee that competing licence holders will lower bills, extend service to less profitable areas, retain skilled workers or invest in a system fairly. A government that invites private companies into a public network must show the public how costs, obligations and risks will actually be shared.

Why the state government is appealing

Haryana’s government has said it intends to challenge the regulator’s decision before the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity. This means the licensing dispute involves more than a conventional clash between a government and its employees. A regulatory approval, the state’s policy position and the unions’ industrial concerns now pull in different directions.

Public utilities are often criticized for slow connections, service interruptions or weak accountability. But starving them of investment and then treating private entry as the only route to improvement is a political choice, not an economic law. Workers should not pay for failures they did not create, and electricity users should not be asked to choose between inefficient public provision and unaccountable private operators.

The test: reliable power without sacrificing the public

The central questions are now concrete: Will households face transparent and affordable tariffs? Will public employees retain their protections? Who will maintain shared assets, serve remote and low-income consumers and carry the cost if private investment falls short? A serious answer requires publicly inspectable licence conditions, meaningful consultation with unions and consumers, and the ability to hold either operator accountable.

Haryana’s power workers are placing those questions on the agenda before private distribution begins. Their October 22–24 strike call gives the authorities an opportunity to negotiate in the open rather than let a long-term infrastructure decision be settled without the people who operate the grid.

Reporting and image credits

The Indian Express, HERC licensing and the Haryana government response: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/haryana-power-regulator-nod-government-opposition-10928889/

The Tribune, employees’ announced October 22–24 strike: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/haryana-power-employees-engineers-to-go-on-3-day-strike-over-herc-licence-to-private-firm/

Hindustan Times, union reaction: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/haryana-power-staff-to-go-on-strike-over-parallel-licence-to-private-firm-101792483532804.html

Cover photograph: Electricity workers in Perambalur, Tamil Nadu, 2018, by Sindugab, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. ARCHIVAL: this is illustrative labor photography from Tamil Nadu, not the Haryana strike. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Silhouette_of_power_line_workers.jpg | License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/