Haryana Electricity Strike Halts Production Across Industrial Hubs
Electricity workers in Haryana launched a three-day strike protesting privatization, causing widespread power outages and significant production losses across multiple industrial districts.
Workers from the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam and other electricity employees began a three-day strike on October 21, 2026, to protest the privatization of electricity distribution. The strike followed a decision by the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission to grant a parallel distribution license to a private company for the Gurugram and Nuh districts.
The outages disrupted power across major industrial hubs, including Karnal, Ambala, Panipat, Bahadurgarh, Gurugram, Faridabad, and Nuh. In Bahadurgarh, over 2,200 industrial units were affected, while Gurugram saw more than 3,000 complaints within 12 hours. Business leaders reported that pollution-control restrictions left roughly 50% of factories without generators, leading to halted machinery and supply chain disruptions during the festive Diwali season.
Government efforts to resolve the crisis have seen limited success. Gurugram Deputy Commissioner Uttam Singh held late-night negotiations with employees, but the talks remained inconclusive. In Faridabad, police intervened to disperse protesters who blocked roads to demand the restoration of water and electricity. Industrial associations warned that the disruption could reduce monthly output by 10% and cause financial losses totaling crores of rupees for low-margin businesses.
