| PDD harasses common masses, bureaucrats, politicians enjoy impunity | | Minister proposes relaxation for consumers, action against officials | | JavaidNaikoo
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Mar 14 : With bureaucrats and politicians among major defaulters of the PDD, the department continues to harass the common people threatening disconnection. The PDD has not urged the National Conference headquarters Nawai Subah to pay an outstanding amount of Rs 10 lakhs. Out of around Rs 55 crore owed to the dozens ofpolitical offices across Kashmir, small scale mills, accommodations of security forces, government apartments, official residences of ministers and Golf Courses are among the major defaulters with power arrears amounting over Rs 10 lakh each. Instead any action against power holders, PDD officials citing reasons of deadline without having any circular issued from PDD to disconnect lines of consumers and force them to pay electricity fee in Rajbagh of Srinagar, Main town Shopian, Pulwama, Kulgam of South Kashmir and Baramullah of North Kashmir
Talking to Early Times, Abdul Ahad of Rajbagh, Ali Muham-mad and Gulzar Ahamad of Shopian, Gulzar Ahmad of Baramullah, Niyaz Ahamad of Kulgam and others from these and other areas alike said that PDD officials are adding worries for them in this harsh winter by disconnecting lines and are forcing them to pay fee despite the fact that many influential people in their respective areas besides some noted defaulters of Kashmir are not even asked to pay pending fee.
"If you pay them bribe, they won't ask you for anything and even they would help you to use illegal connections with ease, due to some problems in family I am a defaulter but my amount pending is not near to Rs. 10000/- either, despite the fact assured them I would pay, they threaten me to disconnect line," said Mukhtar Ahmad Chief engineer PDD, Bashir Ahmad Khan who said that they would disconnect lines of places like political destinations 'Nawai-Subh' of National Conference and of other small scale mills and institutions, also admitted that consumers having pending bills around 20,000-to Rs 30,000 or 40,000 have been already informed and though no circular was issued in this regard by government but it is written on the bills that incases they failed to pay bills, their connections would be disconnected. Taking strong notice of the act of PDD officials harassing common masses across the Kashmir, Minister of state for industries, commerce, PDD and Urban Development department, Muhammad Ashraf Mir said that keeping in view sufferings people of the state had to face in length and breadth due to floods of last year, government is proposing to provide some sort of relaxation to consumers having pending bills of electricity fee.
"When there are no such guidelines from the government why are these officials harassing common masses who already suffered a lot due to floods, I won't leave anybody, I will take the issue with other colleagues of our government who actually are also of the opinion to provide relaxation to defaulters of electricity fee and within days a decision in this regard will come."Added Minister of state for industries, commerce, PDD and urban development department, Muhammad Ashraf Mir locals of many areas of Kashmir want the Chief Minister, Mufti Muhammad Syed to intervene in the matter and provide them relief from pending electricity fee. |
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