Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Limited (HVPNL) has suspended three junior engineers (JEs) following a major technical failure at a substation that triggered widespread power outages across Gurgaon and halted Rapid Metro operations on May 22. The suspended officials are Sandeep Singh, Brijesh, and Sandeep Nain, all responsible for the Sector 72 substation.
Incident Details
Around 7:50 pm on May 22, a 220 kV current transformer (CT) at the Sector 72 substation developed a fault, leading to an explosion and fire before the breaker could trip. This caused the shutdown of both circuits supplying power to several key residential and commercial zones. The blackout left nearly half the city without electricity for hours, affecting sectors including 38, 44, 46, 56, 52, 15, and adjacent areas. High-rise societies and commercial pockets reported prolonged overnight outages.
The failure also brought Rapid Metro operations to a complete halt, underscoring the magnitude of the incident. Emergency repair work by HVPNL and DHBVN teams restored both 220 kV circuits late that night.
Disciplinary Action
An internal order confirmed the immediate suspension of the three JEs. “A detailed technical investigation is underway to determine whether negligence, inadequate preventive maintenance, or equipment failure caused the incident,” an official stated. During the suspension period, the officials’ headquarters is fixed at the office of the chief engineer, HVPNL, Hisar. The chief engineer has been directed to prepare draft charge sheets in coordination with the legal wing, and the JEs face departmental proceedings once the charge sheets are finalized.
Preventive Measures
HVPNL has announced prioritization of transmission network reinforcement and thermal audits of substations due to soaring regional power demand. The document highlighted that the blackout not only disrupted supply to multiple residential sectors but also halted Rapid Metro, illustrating the failure’s severity.
Earlier, the power utility suggested extreme heat and rising demand might have caused thermal stress on equipment. However, the suspension marks the first concrete step towards accountability.
