Why Gurugram, Faridabad residents are facing power cuts since Wednesday
What's the story
A strike by Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) employees has left several districts in Haryana, including Gurugram, Faridabad, and Nuh, without power since 10:00pm on Wednesday. The strike is in protest against the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC)'s decision to grant a private company a parallel electricity distribution license for Gurugram and Nuh districts. The outage has also affected Sonipat, Rewari, Jhajjar, Karnal, and Ambala.
Industrial impact
Industrial operations severely impacted
Due to the outage, many industrial units in Gurugram came to a standstill, with owners warning of losses running into crores.
Deepak Maini, an industrialist and chairman of Progressive Federation of Trade and Industry, told PTI that Sector 37 has been without power since Wednesday night.
He warned that continued outages could disrupt production and delivery of finished goods.
"Power cuts at industrial units have brought machinery and production to a halt. With operations suspended...the risk of losses has increased."
Water crisis
Water supply affected
The power outage has also led to a shortage of drinking water in many residential areas. Residents have been relying on stored water from tanks, which is rapidly running out.
"Electricity and water are both essential services. Where is the government?" asked resident Shiv Kumar Sharma, demanding action from authorities.
"Either the government should settle employees' demands or depute the Disaster Management team to restore the supply....In such a situation, how will we come up with a solution?"
Public unrest
Protests in Faridabad
In Faridabad, residents of New Industrial Township-2 protested on the streets demanding restoration of power and water supply.
Police intervened to disperse the protesters after receiving information about the blockade.
The outage has also affected life in Nuh district, especially in areas like Punhana, Nagina, and Firozpur Jhirka.
Gurugram Deputy Commissioner Uttam Singh held a meeting with the employees, urging them to reconsider their decision.
However, the talks were inconclusive, and no agreement was reached to end the strike.
Complaints
3,000 electricity-related complaints were received
According to PTI, almost 3,000 electricity-related complaints were received in Gurugram on the first day of the strike.
The protests, which will continue until October 25, began after HERC granted private company Eleven Power a 25-year parallel license to distribute energy in Gurugram and Nuh.
Several workers' and farmers' organizations, including the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, along with the Sarv Karamchari Sangh Haryana and trade unions such as CITU, AITUC, and INTUC, have backed the protests.