Haryana recorded a sharp rise in electricity use on July 18 amid heat and monsoon shortfall, triggering protests over outages in multiple districts.
Electricity consumption across Haryana jumped 32.18 percent year on year to 3,135.42 lakh units on July 18. The increase was driven by prolonged monsoon deficit and high temperatures.
Protests broke out in Bhiwani, Hisar, Panipat, Fatehabad and Charkhi Dadri, where villagers blocked roads over unscheduled power cuts.
Power Minister Anil Vij said demand rose because of summer conditions, farm needs and industry. He added that the state had arranged extra supply and network upgrades.
DHBVN and UHBVN managing director Vikram Singh said staff were monitoring substations around the clock and extra equipment had been deployed.