Haryana power discoms seek license review

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State-owned power distribution companies – Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam and Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam – filed a review petition with the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) alleging that the parallel distribution license granted to a private company was in violation of the Electricity Act, 2003 and the standards prescribed under the applicable statutory rules2, 202.

The discoms also challenged HERC’s reliance on the findings of the expert committee, arguing that the findings were based on incorrect facts and were against the requirements of power infrastructure and consumer interests.

Meanwhile, the Haryana Power Employees’ Association (HPEA) and the All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) have filed objections with the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL), seeking to ensure that no ex-parte order is passed without hearing the state government and power engineers.

The Haryana Power Employees-Engineers Joint Front has demanded that the state government effectively defend the October 28 HERC order against APTEL through its top legal officers and senior advocates. It also called for a political decision to revoke the license for parallel distribution.

The front, in the next meeting, asked the cabinet to approve a comprehensive and permanent state energy policy, expressly ruling out all forms of privatisation, including parallel licensing, the Agri DISCOM model, tariff competitive bidding (TBCB), stock market listing of power companies and smart metering.

Front spokesperson Ravinder Ghanghas warned that any attempt to introduce privatization policies contrary to established rules and procedures would force electricity workers and engineers across the country to launch strong protests.

A member of the Joint Front of Power Employees said that Power Minister Anil Vij had assured representatives of unions and associations in a meeting on August 10 that the matter regarding Eleven Power Limited’s parallel distribution license application would be taken up for Cabinet decision. However, the matter has not yet reached the cabinet and the file has only been moving between departments, the member said. The license was subsequently granted on 19 October.

Mr. Vij could not be reached for comment on the matter.

Published – November 4, 2026 09:59 IST