JAMMU, Oct 4: Sunil Dimple, President of Mission Statehood, led a protest rally against the J&K Power Development Department (PDD) and JKPDCL, alleging irregularities in electricity billing and the issuance of excess and incorrect bills to consumers using prepaid and smart meters.
Addressing the protesters, Dimple alleged that the electricity department had committed serious irregularities resulting in consumers being charged excessive amounts through electricity bills. He claimed that crores of rupees had been collected from consumers through what he described as inflated or incorrect billing. He demanded greater accountability and transparency in the electricity billing system.
Dimple said that smart and prepaid meters had been installed across Jammu and Kashmir for several years, but consumers had repeatedly complained about heavy and allegedly incorrect bills. He claimed that poor families were being compelled to deposit disputed bills and, in some cases, faced disconnection of their electricity connections when they were unable to make the payments.
He questioned the accountability mechanisms within the department and alleged that consumers were repeatedly receiving excess bills despite having already deposited electricity charges. Dimple demanded a CBI inquiry into electricity billing and related financial transactions of the past ten years, particularly since the installation of smart meters during the BJP-PDP alliance government.
Dimple also appealed to consumers to carefully verify their electricity bills and payment records before making further deposits. He alleged that smart prepaid meters had been forcibly installed during the previous government and claimed that a large number of smart meters were currently non-functional.
He further alleged that some officials of the PDD, including SEs, XENs, AEEs, AEs and JEs, had bypassed smart meters through direct wire connections at their residential premises. He called for an investigation into such allegations and demanded strict action wherever violations were established.
Dimple also urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to fulfil the promises made during the election campaign, including providing 200 units of free electricity to consumers in metered areas, waiving electricity tariffs for poor families, reducing power cuts and ensuring free drinking water for the people.
He warned that his organisation would launch a mass agitation if these demands were not addressed. He also criticised the Central Government over the allocation and operation of power projects, alleging that Jammu and Kashmir was not receiving adequate benefits from its own hydropower resources.
Dimple demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi return the Salal and Uri power projects to Jammu and Kashmir and provide the Union Territory with appropriate royalty from electricity generated from its hydropower projects and supplied to other states.
He alleged that people in Jammu were facing prolonged power cuts because of weak electricity infrastructure. According to him, electricity curtailment of around six to eight hours had begun in parts of Jammu, while several areas were also facing an acute shortage of drinking water.
Among those who participated in the protest were Vijay Virdi, Kala Singh, Vikas, Deepak, Arun Verma and Mohinder Lichi, besides several other supporters and activists.