Widespread strike shutters power supply across Panipat; feeders, villages affected
Panipat experienced significant power disruptions after a large-scale strike by power corporation employees that began at midnight on Wednesday, officials said. According to the information released by power circle authorities, about 1,307 of 1,452 employees — roughly 91 percent of the workforce in the circle, including regular, contractual and HKRN staff — participated in the industrial action, affecting distribution on multiple feeders across the district.
The strike coincided with a technical fault on the Babarpur feeder, which led to a blackout in the area including several surrounding villages from about 1 pm. Officials reported disruption on a total of 19 11-kV feeders and seven 33-kV feeders. During daytime operations, the 132-kV feeder at Samalkha was also disrupted, compounding the supply problems.
- Employees on strike: 1,307 of 1,452 (approx. 91%)
- 11-kV feeders affected: 19
- 33-kV feeders affected: 7
- 132-kV feeder: Samalkha feeder disrupted
“Of the total 1,452 employees, including regular, contractual and HKRN staff, 1,307 went on strike,” according to the report.
Sabotage reported in neighbouring Sonepat
The situation in neighbouring Sonepat escalated as striking employees were accused of deliberately damaging power supply cables in the Gannaur area. Authorities said cables were tampered with on Badshahi Road and on the Kheri Gurjar, Ahulana and Udeshipur feeders, which caused blackouts locally. FIRs have been registered at the Gannaur police station in connection with the alleged sabotage, the Superintending Engineer of the Sonepat Circle, Maninder Kadyan, said.
Officials also noted that more than 95 percent of employees in the Sonepat circle took part in the strike on Thursday. The damage to distribution infrastructure has added a criminal angle to the labour action and will likely delay restoration while investigations and repairs proceed.
Associations react and differentiate positions
Trade bodies in the power sector have responded unevenly. The Haryana Power Generation Engineers Association (HPGEA) publicly opposed the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) decision on parallel licensing in Gurugram and Nuh and extended moral support to the striking engineers' groups, while also staging an indicative protest at HPGCL administrative offices, the HPGEA said.
However, the HPGEA clarified it would not join the strike in order to ensure uninterrupted generation and supply across the state. Ravinder Yadav, zonal president, said the association supported the Haryana Power Engineers Association (HPEA) and the Haryana Bijli Karmchari and Engineers Sanyukta Sangharsh Morcha (HBKESSM) on moral grounds, but kept its personnel on duty.
Local impact and immediate concerns
The combined effect of the labour action and the reported tampering has led to outages that affected villages and urban localities alike in Panipat. Disruption of multiple 11-kV and 33-kV feeders — and the interruption of a 132-kV line at Samalkha — has implications for agriculture pumps, small industries and residential power supply during the day.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Workforce in circle | 1,452 employees (regular, contractual, HKRN) |
| Employees on strike | 1,307 (approx. 91%) |
| Feeders disrupted | 19 (11-kV), 7 (33-kV); 132-kV Samalkha feeder also affected |
| Sabotage allegations | Cables damaged in Gannaur area; FIRs lodged at Gannaur police station |
For Panipat's farming communities and small manufacturers, prolonged outages risk damage to perishables, interruption of irrigation and loss of production. Restoration timelines will depend on repair of damaged infrastructure and any negotiations or directives affecting the strike. Local authorities and power officials will need to balance rapid restoration with securing lines and pursuing legal action where sabotage is suspected.
Residents in affected areas reported sudden, widespread blackouts when the Babarpur feeder developed a fault around midday. Officials have not yet released a full timeline for restoration; the matter remains subject to ongoing operational response and police investigation in Sonepat.
The strike and the reported acts of sabotage underline tensions in the sector following regulatory decisions on parallel licensing and show how disputes within the power workforce can quickly spill over into public inconvenience and infrastructure damage.
