Parallel distribution network bid: Power staff against panel’s appointment by HERC

Eleven Power, a company incorporated in 2025, has petitioned the commission seeking the grant of a parallel power distribution licence under Sections 14 and 15 of the Electricity Act, 2003, for the two districts

The All-India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF), Electricity Employees Federation of India (EEFI), and Haryana Power Engineers Association (HPEA) have objected to the constitution of the expert committee by the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) to examine a petition for a parallel power distribution licence for Gurugram and Nuh revenue districts.

In a joint representation submitted to the commission, employees unions have urged the commission to reconsider its July 9 order constituting the committee.

Eleven Power, a company incorporated in 2025, has petitioned the commission seeking the grant of a parallel power distribution licence under Sections 14 and 15 of the Electricity Act, 2003, for the two districts. State-owned power distribution company Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) at present exclusively serves electricity consumers in the two districts. Sunil Sachdeva, the co-founder of Medanta - The Medicity, a leading chain of multi-super speciality hospitals, is the director of Eleven Power and chairman of Eleven Group.

The commission, which held a hearing on the petition on July 8, reserved its order till the expert committee submits its findings.

In a joint representation submitted to the commission, AIPEF chairman Shailendra Dubey, EEFI vice president Subhash Lamba and HPEA general secretary Ravinder Singh Ghanghas urged the commission to reconsider its July 9 order constituting the committee.

The three organisations, which are stakeholders and intervenors in the proceedings before the regulator, said in their representation that the proposed parallel distribution licence has far-reaching implications for electricity consumers, public utilities, existing distribution licensees, employees and the entire power sector in Haryana. Any regulatory process dealing with such a sensitive issue must be above every reasonable doubt and inspire complete public confidence, they said.

Questioning the constitution of the expert committee, the organisations said the Electricity Act, 2003, does not envisage delegation of the commission’s quasi-judicial responsibility to an extra-statutory committee for examining pleadings, objections and statutory compliance before making recommendations on issues that are required to be decided by the commission.

The organisations clarified that they are not seeking any adjudication by HERC on those proceedings. However, they emphasised that a person against whom such serious issues concerning financial propriety have been officially raised should not be entrusted with the responsibility of serving on an independent expert committee examining a matter of enormous public importance.

“The issue is not directed against any individual personally. It concerns the institutional credibility of the regulatory process. Every member of an expert committee constituted by a statutory regulator must possess impeccable integrity, unquestionable independence and an unblemished professional record. Public confidence is the cornerstone of every quasi-judicial process,” the joint statement said.