Haryana Energy Minister Anil Vij said on Friday that the state government had nearly resolved the power employees' strike that has blacked out parts of Gurugram, Faridabad and Nuh since Wednesday night, expressing confidence that the strike would end within a few hours after union leaders agreed to a meeting in Panchkula at 3 p.m. on Friday, ANI reported.

Source: ANI via Devdiscourse

In a separate appeal posted on X on Friday morning, Vij urged the striking employees to end the strike and return to duty, saying the government was ready to discuss all options, including action under Section 108 of the Electricity Act, 2003, IANS reported.

Source: IANS via Hi India

What the minister told the unions

"I have nearly resolved the situation. I just spoke with the employee leaders as well, and I've been telling them since day one that a strike is not the way. Come, let's talk. If you suggest any other way, we'll adopt that too. Yesterday, they demanded that the government invoke Section 108 to dismiss this order, which we can do. I've also spoken with the Chief Minister, and this morning I tweeted that we will invoke Section 108. The union leaders have agreed, and they've consented to a meeting in Panchkula at 3 PM today. I'm confident that the strike will end in just a few hours," Vij told ANI.

Vij said the government had strongly opposed the private company's application before the Haryana regulator, was appealing against the regulator's order and was trying to obtain a stay. He said he was against privatisation because heavy public money had been invested in infrastructure and employees' services were at stake, and he urged employee leaders to help prepare the case instead of striking.

Why Gurugram and Nuh have been in the dark

Electricity employees and engineers of the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) are on a three-day statewide strike from October 22 to 24 against the entry of a private power distributor in Gurugram and Nuh. Widespread blackouts began in Gurugram, Faridabad and Nuh at around 10 p.m. on Wednesday, disrupting homes, businesses and industrial units, and angry residents took to the streets in several areas, blocking roads, IANS reported.

The dispute follows the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission's decision to grant a 25-year parallel electricity distribution licence to Eleven Power Private Limited for Gurugram and Nuh. The order, dated October 19, allows a second distributor to operate alongside the existing one, giving more than 8.3 lakh consumers the option to choose their supplier as the new network reaches their areas, ANI reported. Existing consumers are not required to take any immediate action, and the current distributor will continue supplying electricity.