Plans to introduce a private power distributor in Gurugram and Nuh have been put on hold after the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) on Wednesday decided “not to proceed further” with r olling out a distribution licence to Eleven Power Private Limited.

The freeze comes just nine days after HERC granted the 25-year licence on October 19. The move had triggered a strike by electricity employees, who feared it could draw consumers and revenue away from the state discom, threaten government jobs, and lead to higher electricity tariffs.

Dismissing the firm’s plea for a hearing, HERC, in a three-page order Wednesday, noted that with the state government issuing binding policy directions barring parallel licences, “no adjudicatory exercise is left for the Commission to undertake”.

The Commission acted on an October 26 directive from the Energy Department issued under Section 108 of the Electricity Act, 2003.…