Jammu, Aug 24 : Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Tariq Hameed Karra on Monday opposed the recent hike in electricity tariffs and demanded immediate rollback of the order.
The Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) last week announced a 6.83 per cent increase in electricity tariffs in the Union Territory.
Karra, whose party had contested the last Assembly elections in alliance with the National Conference but chose to stay out of the NC-led government until the restoration of statehood to J&K, termed the decision “unjust, burdensome and completely unbearable” for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“At a time when households are already struggling with rising prices and increasing economic pressures, the government should have provided relief to consumers rather than adding to their burden through higher electricity bills,” the Congress leader said.
Karra, a member of the J&K Legislative Assembly, said people expected the government to announce relief and curtailment in electricity bills, not an increase in the per-unit tariff. “For an ordinary household, every additional rupee on the electricity bill directly affects the family budget. This decision is insensitive to the economic hardships being faced by our people,” he said.
The JKPCC chief demanded that the government immediately review and withdraw the tariff hike and introduce meaningful measures to reduce the electricity burden on domestic consumers, particularly economically weaker sections. “The government must remember that electricity is not a luxury; it is an essential service. The people of J&K deserve affordable and reliable power, not ever-increasing bills,” he said, adding the Congress will stand firmly with the people and oppose every measure that places “an unjustified” financial burden on them.
He urged the NC Government to reconsider the decision in the larger public interest and restore relief to consumers instead of making essential utilities increasingly unaffordable.
