The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has lodged its protest against the Haryana Government's move to award electricity distribution work in Gurugram and Nuh to a private company.
Addressing a press conference here recently, INLD patron and former minister Sampat Singh said the move was “not a reform in the power sector but an attempt to transfer public assets, government infrastructure, and government revenue into private hands”.
He said 42 per cent of Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) revenue came from Gurugram district, and line losses in Gurugram district had been significantly lower compared to the rest of the state.
While the state’s line loss is 10.02 per cent, Gurugram's figure is 4.70 per cent.
“Why does the government intend to privatise power companies that have been already profitable? The state's power infrastructure is public property and the privatisation of the same will never be in its interest,” he said.
INLD national senior vice-president RS Chaudhary, former DGP MS Malik, party state spokesperson Satbir Saini, and office secretary Nachhattar Singh Malhan were among those present at the event.
The INLD patron said, during the hearing held at the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission on Wednesday in this regard, the INLD opposed the privatisation of electricity in Gurugram by raising 112 points, adding that this battle would be a long one.
Investments of Rs 1,608 crore under the Smart City scheme and Rs 3,584 crore under the RDSS scheme had been made in Gurugram.
“Everyone has their eyes on this public money. Currently, the government is preparing to award the license to a novice company established in June 2025. It does not possess adequate experience, yet preparations were underway to award it a project worth approximately Rs 4,717 crore.
On one hand, regarding the privatisation of power companies, the government has collected Rs 25,950 crore from the public under the UDAY scheme. It has also infused an additional Rs 3,352 crore in capital and provided subsidies to cover losses,” he said.
He added that the Supreme Court and the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity had clarified — in cases involving Sesa Sterlite Limited, Reliance Energy Limited, Tata Power Company Limited, Reliance Infrastructure Limited, and Noida Power Company Limited — that when granting parallel distribution licenses, it was essential to consider consumer interests and the financial stability of existing power utilities, as well as to curb the tendency to cherry-pick only profitable areas.
He also questioned the Congress. “No Congress leader or representative attended the hearing on electricity matters, even though all Congress leaders were present at a meeting in Chandigarh. The Congress merely turns newspaper reports into issues, whereas the Indian National Lok Dal is the party actually playing the role of the main opposition in the state,” he said.