Protests by political parties rocked Srinagar on Monday against the National Conference government’s go ahead for increase in power tariffs across Jammu and Kashmir from September 1 even as chief minister Omar Abdullah defended the decision saying that they were doing it out of compulsion.
No other state in comparison has lower average energy charges (Rs/kWh).The just announced power tariff hike by JERC is not the first and certainly not the last. Isn’t this cruelty and injustice?”. “J&K has the lowest tariffs in every category among the northern states (Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi).
PDP leader Asiya Naqash, who was among the protesters, said: “People were promised 200 units of free electricity but instead of that, the tariffs have been increased by 6.8 percent.
This definitely is a ‘lower’ hike in comparison to previous years,” said NC spokesperson, Imran Nabi Dar.
Apni Party workers held a protest at Press Colony in Srinagar against the Omar government. They held placards and a lantern as a mark of protest against the power hike. However, the NC government has defended the action saying that the hike was minimum across various states.
The development has triggered anger across Jammu and Kashmir particularly, against the NC government, as it had promised 200 units of free energy in its election manifesto.
“Today I want to seek an answer from Omar, who is also the power minister, whether these are your promises which people gave you the mandate for,” said AP leader, Mohammad Ashraf Mir. Earlier reporting noted: Omar Abdullah calls for probe into Kashmiri Pandit threats, defends power tariff hike Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has called for a thorough investigation into fresh threats targeting Kashmiri Pandits while defending the recent electricity tariff hike, saying the increase was a “compulsion” and not something the government wanted.
Earlier reporting noted: Abdullah addressed the two major issues facing the Union Territory while urging vigilance over security concerns and explaining the government’s position on the revised power tariffs. Earlier reporting noted: The letters named Kashmiri Pandit employees working under the Prime Minister’s Package and published their phone numbers and other personal details.
The more our power losses decrease, the more these steps won’t be needed,” Omar said. “We are not celebrating the hike in power tariffs. It was our compulsion. Lashing out at opposition, he reminded them of the hike in their tenure.
