Gurugram power crisis leaves 50,000 homes in the dark, hits 1,800 factories

Electricity employees struck work against a private distribution licence in Gurugram and Nuh. The stoppage disrupted power, water supply and industrial production across Gurugram.

In Short

• Nearly 98% of DHBVN staff stayed away across two circles
• Some Old Gurugram neighbourhoods endured blackouts lasting nearly 24 hours
• GRAP restrictions limited diesel generator backup for affected industrial operations

Gurugram's power crisis has intensified as a strike by electricity employees against the privatisation of power distribution disrupted electricity supply to more than 50,000 homes and affected production at around 1,800 manufacturing units in the city.

Nearly 98% of the staff in two circles of the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) in Old Gurugram reportedly remained away from work, leaving the department struggling to address faults and restore supply.

The outages also disrupted water supplies to residential areas, while industrial units faced production losses.

The strike began in protest against the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission's (HERC) decision to grant a private company a licence to distribute electricity in Gurugram and Nuh.

NEARLY 98% OF STAFF ABSENT IN TWO GURUGRAM CIRCLES

According to figures shared by electricity department officials, 816 of the 826 employees in Old Gurugram's Circle 1 and 540 of the 557 employees in Circle 2 were absent during the strike.

The disruption affected around 50 localities in Old Gurugram, with some areas experiencing prolonged outages. Residents reported that electricity supply had remained disrupted since the previous night, while some neighbourhoods had faced blackouts lasting nearly 24 hours.

Speaking over the phone, Shyamveer Saini, a senior executive engineer in DHBVN's Circle 1, said the department was facing difficulties repairing faults because trained employees had joined the strike.

He said the increasing number of faults and the absence of trained staff had made restoring electricity a major challenge. The department was struggling to address the disruptions with the employees available for duty, he added.

1,800 FACTORIES FACE PRODUCTION DISRUPTIONS

The power crisis has also affected Gurugram's industrial areas, particularly Sector 37 and Kadipur, where around 1,800 manufacturing units were reported to have suffered disruptions.

Industrial operations were affected by electricity cuts and limitations on the use of diesel generator sets under restrictions imposed as part of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

The limited backup capacity further complicated efforts to keep production running during the outages.

The disruption has raised concerns about financial losses, delayed manufacturing schedules and interruptions to supply chains if electricity supply is not restored promptly.

WATER SUPPLY HIT AS RESIDENTS PROTEST

The prolonged outages have also disrupted drinking water supplies in residential areas. With electricity unavailable at boosting stations, water distribution was affected, leaving households struggling to meet their daily requirements.

Residents in several localities had reportedly blocked roads late at night to protest the outages. Although electricity returned in some areas for around two hours, supply was disrupted again around midnight, according to the report.

The repeated outages have added to residents' frustration, particularly in neighbourhoods where inverter backups have also run out.

STRIKE OVER PRIVATE POWER DISTRIBUTION LICENCE

The employees are protesting HERC's decision to grant a parallel electricity distribution licence to private company Eleven Power for Gurugram and Nuh for 25 years.

The proposed arrangement has triggered concerns among electricity workers over the future of the state-run distribution network and job security.

The strike has also highlighted the challenges of maintaining essential electricity services when a large proportion of the workforce is unavailable.

With homes, water supplies and industrial operations affected, restoring electricity across Gurugram remains a pressing challenge for DHBVN and the district administration.

- Ends