Meham XEN suspended amid power restoration exercise

Although the suspension order did not mention the reason, officials indicated the action followed state directions to restore electricity supply immediately after the strike ended on Friday evening

The Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) Limited has placed executive engineer (XEN) Sanjeet Kumar, posted in Meham, Rohtak district, under suspension a day after power employees called off their nearly 45-hour strike against the grant of a parallel distribution licence in Gurugram and Nuh.

The order mentioned that Kumar will remain attached to the UHBVN office in Panchkula during the suspension period and cannot leave the headquarters without prior permission. (HT)

Although the suspension order did not mention the reason, officials indicated the action followed state directions to restore electricity supply immediately after the strike ended on Friday evening.

An official, wishing not to be named, said Kumar was neither present in his office nor reachable by phone when senior officers attempted to contact him regarding the status of power restoration. Superintending engineer Vijender Narwal said the government had sought details of officers who were present or absent during the restoration exercise.

The order mentioned that Kumar will remain attached to the UHBVN office in Panchkula during the suspension period and cannot leave the headquarters without prior permission. Officials said he had been promoted from sub-divisional officer (SDO) to executive engineer a few days ago.

The employees’ statewide strike began at 10 pm on October 22 and continued through the evening of October 23. The workers were protesting the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (HERC) decision to grant a 25-year parallel distribution licence to Eleven Power Private Limited for the Gurugram and Nuh revenue districts. The strike disrupted supply across multiple districts, triggering public protests in several areas.

The agitation was called off after a meeting in Panchkula involving chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, power minister Anil Vij and representatives of employee unions. The state government assured the unions it would issue directions to HERC under Section 108 of the Electricity Act, 2003, to review the decision and halt the parallel licensing arrangement.

Following the assurance, unions announced an end to the strike. The CM subsequently directed officials to submit district-wise restoration reports by midnight on Friday.