Gurugram-Nuh power distribution licence row reaches APTEL; DHBVN, AIPEF file caveats
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, November 3, 2026: The controversy over a 25-year parallel electricity distribution licence granted to private firm Eleven Power for Gurugram and Nuh districts of Haryana has reached the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) in New Delhi, with the state power utility and engineers’ body filing separate caveats to prevent any ex-parte orders.
The Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) had granted the licence to Eleven Power on October 19 but stayed its order on October 28 following the state government’s intervention.
Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) and the All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) have filed separate caveats before APTEL, apprehending that the private company may challenge HERC’s October 28 order.
Meanwhile, former Haryana Finance Minister Sampat Singh has challenged the original October 19 order granting the licence. He has urged the tribunal not to pass any ex-parte order in the matter.
Questioning the legal basis of the government’s intervention, Singh said the directions issued under Section 108 of the Electricity Act, 2003, should have been backed by a formal decision of the Council of Ministers. He described the government’s intervention as a temporary measure.
AIPEF media adviser V.K. Gupta said the government had acknowledged the widespread resentment and apprehensions among consumers, farmers, electricity department employees and the general public over the grant of a parallel distribution licence to a private company.
He argued that a private distributor could focus primarily on large and profitable consumers, potentially causing financial losses to state-owned power utilities. Such losses, he said, could ultimately increase the burden on ordinary electricity consumers.
Ravindra Ghanghas, spokesperson for the Joint Employees’ Front, said orders had been issued to cancel the private company’s parallel licence. He added that employees’ concerns extended beyond the present dispute to other proposed changes in the power sector, including the listing of state-owned power corporations on the stock market.
The dispute intensified after electricity department employees went on strike against the proposed parallel licence. Subsequently, the state government, citing public interest, issued written directions to HERC under Section 108(1) of the Electricity Act, 2003, with the approval of the Chief Minister.
The government clarified that no parallel electricity distribution licence should be issued or remain in force anywhere in Haryana. Following these directions, HERC suspended further proceedings related to the grant of the licence to Eleven Power.
The matter now involves challenges to the original licensing decision, the subsequent stay and the legal validity of the government’s intervention.