Karnal: A joint front of power engineers and employees in Haryana has called a three-day strike from October 22 to 24 against the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission's (HERC) decision to grant a 25-year parallel power distribution licence to Eleven Power Private Limited for the Gurugram and Nuh revenue districts, Arth Prakash reported. The announcement was made after an emergency meeting of the joint front in Karnal on Monday evening.

Joint front spokesperson Baljit Beniwal said the employees had decided to intensify their agitation after discussing the HERC order at the Karnal meeting. As part of the protest programme, the front announced plans to burn copies of the commission's order on October 21 and to hold demonstrations at different locations across Haryana, and said it would announce its next course of action on the final day of the strike.

The front alleged that the licence amounts to indirect privatisation of the state's power sector and a 'black order', and alleged that handing high-revenue industrial and commercial areas such as Gurugram and Nuh to a private player could weaken the state-owned Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN). These are allegations by the employees' representatives. Union leader Subhash Lamba, National Vice-President of the Electricity Employees Federation of India, told The Indian Express, as reported by Urban Acres, that unions had alleged objections from employees, farmers and resident welfare associations had not been adequately considered, and that strike action could be brought forward to October 22.

On the other side, Haryana Energy Minister Anil Vij has said the state government will contest the HERC move before the Appellate Tribunal, according to reports carried by News4Exchange and Mirror Now. The All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) has also vowed to oppose the decision and to support the state joint action committee, Mirror Now reported. HERC, in its order, rejected the argument that Eleven Power's lack of prior distribution experience should bar the licence, saying consortium partners had technical expertise in high-voltage networks, Urban Acres reported. Some industrial associations and resident welfare associations in Gurugram have welcomed a second supplier, citing recurring summer outages and the cost of diesel-generator backup.

The licence, granted by HERC's order of October 19, 2026, is the first parallel distribution licence in Haryana and would let consumers in Gurugram and Nuh choose between DHBVN and Eleven Power as the private network reaches their area.

Sources: Arth Prakash (October 21, 2026); News4Exchange (October 20, 2026); Mirror Now (October 20, 2026); Urban Acres, citing The Indian Express (October 20, 2026).