“Farmers in Haryana are also set to suffer; the government has created a separate company for agriculture, who will cover its losses now? The government appears to be fully backing the privatisation of the power sector. Privatisation will reduce employment opportunities, lead to the exploitation of the poor, and result in lower wages,” Senior Indian National Lok Dal leader and former Finance Minister of Haryana Sampat Singh said. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
Indian National Lok Dal National Patron and former minister Sampat Singh on Thursday (July 9, 2026) criticised the Haryana government’s move to award the electricity distribution work in Gurugram and Nuh to a private company.
Holding a press conference at Chandigarh, he stated that this was not a reform in the power sector but an attempt to transfer public assets, government infrastructure, and government revenue into private hands. Mr. Singh noted that 42% of DHBVN’s revenue comes from Gurugram and that line losses in the district, at 4.70%, were significantly lower than the 10.02% for the rest of the State. Gurugram was generating full revenue from electricity, he said, questioning as to why the government was privatising power companies that were already profitable. Privatising loss-making companies might have been understandable, he added.
In a public notice on May 30, the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) had invited objections and suggestions on a petition by Eleven Power Private Limited to obtain a distribution licence for Nuh and Gurugram.
Mr. Singh stated that during the hearing held at the HERC on Wednesday (June 8, 2026) regarding privatisation, the INLD opposed the move, raising 112 points, adding that this battle would be a long one. There are several reasons behind the move, including investments of ₹1,608 crore under the Smart City scheme and ₹3,584 crore under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme that have been made in Gurugram, and everyone had their eyes on this public money, he said.
Furthermore, the guidelines laid down by courts regarding the privatisation of State-owned power companies do not appear to be being followed, he said, adding that courts had stipulated that factors such as a company’s financial health, experience, and public interest must be considered during privatisation. “Farmers in Haryana are also set to suffer; the government has created a separate company for agriculture, who will cover its losses now? The government appears to be fully backing the privatisation of the power sector. Privatisation will reduce employment opportunities, lead to the exploitation of the poor, and result in lower wages,” he expressed apprehension.
Mr. Singh also questioned the Congress party, saying that the party claimed to be the State’s main opposition party, but no Congress leader or representative attended the hearing on electricity matters, even though all Congress leaders were present at a meeting in Chandigarh.
Published – July 10, 2026 11:48 am IST
