Around 40,000 electricity employees and engineers across Haryana began a three-day strike against the grant of a parallel power distribution licence to a private company in the Gurugram and Nuh districts, disrupting electricity and water supplies, industrial production and other essential services across the state.The strike, called by the Haryana Electricity Employees and Engineers Joint Struggle Front, has brought the contentious issue of privatisation of power distribution to the fore. The Front represents regular and contractual employees, as well as power engineers.The employees fear that the move could eventually affect jobs, as well as the availability and affordability of electricity for farmers and ordinary consumers.The Haryana government, however, maintains that it is opposed to privatisation and has approached the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) to challenge the regulatory decision.Employee organisations maintain that allowing a private player parallel distribution rights could pave the way for greater privatisation of a sector built through substantial public investment, with possible implications for employees, farmers and consumers.With a large section of the workforce joining the agitation, several 33-kV and 11-kV feeders affected by breakdowns reportedly remained out of service.Power disruptions were reported in urban and rural areas, affecting water supplies and industrial feeders. Electricity complaint centres, substations and offices at the subdivision, division and circle levels were also largely deserted.Subhash Lamba, national president of the Electricity Employees Federation of India, and Shailendra Dubey, chairman of the All India Power Engineers Federation, backed the agitation.Lamba questioned why the state had not acted earlier against the grant of the parallel licence if the Chief Minister and the Power Minister were opposed to privatisation.Haryana Energy Minister Anil Vij, however, urged the employees to withdraw the strike, saying that the government itself opposed the move and was challenging the regulatory decision before APTEL.“Leave the path of strike and join us to fight the legal battle against it,” Vij said, adding that employees were welcome to assist the government’s lawyer or engage their own counsel.Vij said he was opposed to privatisation, as substantial public funds had been invested in power infrastructure and employees’ jobs were also at stake. He said the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) was an autonomous body established under central law and that the state was seeking a stay on its order from APTEL.Meanwhile, constituent organisations of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, the Sarv Karamchari Sangh Haryana and several trade unions, including CITU, AITUC, INTUC and AIUTUC, extended their support to the strike and held demonstrations at several places.Front leader Devender Singh Hooda said the employees were not striking for higher salaries or allowances but to prevent privatisation and protect access to affordable electricity for farmers and ordinary consumers.Lamba said the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers had also appealed to power-sector organisations in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir not to send personnel to Haryana to replace the striking workforce.