The protesters also raised concerns against the creation of an Agri Discom and the implementation of smart metering.
A large number of distribution company (DISCOM) employees, representatives of the Joint Kisan Morcha, workers’ organisations and consumers staged a demonstration in Nuh on Tuesday against the proposal to grant a parallel distribution licence to a private firm in Nuh and Gurugram, the creation of an Agri DISCOM, and the implementation of smart metering. After the demonstration, a memorandum addressed to the Secretary of the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) was submitted to the local authorities, demanding the immediate rejection of the application for the parallel distribution licence. The memorandum also sought the dissolution of the Expert Committee constituted by the commission, alleging that it had been formed in an arbitrary and unconstitutional manner and lacked the credibility and impartiality required to take a fair decision. Eleven Power Private Limited has filed a petition before the HERC seeking a distribution licence for Nuh and Gurugram. A unanimous resolution adopted during the demonstration stated that granting parallel distribution licences to private companies would weaken the public electricity distribution system, increase the tariff burden on consumers, undermine the cross-subsidy mechanism, and lead to the privatisation of the power sector. All India Power Engineers Federation chairman Shailendra Dubey and Electricity Employees Federation of India vice-president Subhash Lamba said that if private companies were allowed to use the existing public distribution network while cherry-picking only profitable consumers, State-owned distribution utilities would become financially weaker, and farmers, domestic consumers and small commercial consumers would face an additional financial burden. They said electricity is an essential public service and should not be converted into a means of private profit. They also argued that the Electricity Act does not permit discrimination among consumers and that allowing multiple distribution licensees to operate on the same public distribution network was contrary to the principles of universal and equitable electricity supply. In a statement, Eleven Power, chaired by Medanta co-founder Sunil Sachdeva, stated that it proposed to invest over ₹4,700 crore in a renewable energy-led electricity distribution network in Gurugram and Nuh. The company added that the proposed network would be powered predominantly by renewable energy and would aim to provide uninterrupted power supply, reducing dependence on diesel generator backup. Under the parallel licence proposal, the existing utility would retain its network and consumers, and only those consumers who opted for the new supplier would shift to it, the company clarified. Published - July 21, 2026 09:04 pm IST
