Gurgaon: Production at nearly 1,800 manufacturing units in Sector 37 and Kadipur industrial areas were disrupted since Wednesday night because of power cuts brought on by discom employees protesting HERC’s decision to grant a parallel power distribution licence in the city and Nuh to Eleven Power. Industries shifted to diesel generator sets but these cannot sustain continuous operations because they need cooling breaks, affecting the production line. Industrialists pointed out that GRAP restrictions had come into force and gensets would be seen as a violation.“A generator is meant for backup, not regular power supply. After running for several hours, it heats up and needs to be switched off to cool down,” industrialist Vikrant Gupta said, explaining why diesel generators cannot replace grid electricity for long hours.Industrialists said the enforcement of GRAP from Wednesday had created another operational hurdle, as generators are subject to air pollution control norms. Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has prescribed emission-control conditions for generator sets in NCR, with non-compliant units liable to face action.“How are we supposed to run our operations amid so many disruptions? Power is basic to running an industry,” another industrialist said.The disruption comes amid a three-day strike by electricity employees. The affected clusters include textile units, export houses, auto component manufacturers, and businesses supplying food to corporate and commercial establishments. Industrialists said repeated calls to Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) officials had not resolved the issue, leaving workers and machinery idle.Power supply to industrial clusters was disrupted around 10pm on Wednesday and remained affected till the time of filing this report on Thursday. The outage exposed vulnerability of industrial operations to prolonged power cuts and left manufacturers struggling to keep production lines running.Progressive Federation of Trade and Industry (PFTI) chairman Deepak Maini said DHBVN officials had expressed their inability to resolve the problem, while private vendors could not be engaged to work on high-tension lines and feeders.“If DHBVN is unable to provide the service, there is nothing wrong with allowing private players. We want an uninterrupted power supply, whoever provides it — the govt or a private player,” Maini said.He said frequent outages had already become a persistent problem for manufacturers, forcing repeated maintenance interventions and disrupting production schedules. Manufacturers urged the state govt to invoke Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA), if legally warranted, and make alternative arrangements to restore electricity supply.“It is the govt’s responsibility to ensure power supply. We pay taxes to the govt,” industrialist PK Gupta said.Haryana govt has said it will challenge the HERC order before Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) and seek an immediate stay on the implementation of the licence.Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday assured power employees that the govt would stand firmly with them and pursue the case before APTEL. During a review of the situation with administrative secretaries and district officials through video conferencing, Saini appealed to electricity employees’ unions to call off the strike, saying the govt’s “doors for dialogue remained open”. Deputy commissioner Uttam Singh also held a meeting with power officials and directed them to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply, especially to hospitals, water supply systems and the metro. Officials said DHBVN was making arrangements to “maintain supply” during the strike.
