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| People held protest at Kishtwar against inflated power bills | | | Early Times Report
KISHTWAR, Dec 13: People Kishtwar and its adjoining areas today held a strong protest against Power Development Department (PDD) for sending them inflated bills despite the fact that the department has installed meters at their residences. In the morning, a large number of people assembled at PDD office Kishtwar where they locked into heated arguments with PDD employees and later held strong protest and block the main road outside PDD Office Kishtwar. The agitating people raised slogans against PDD and demanded immediate roll back of inflated bills sent to them. After sensing trouble, police party led by SHO Police Station Kishtwar rushed to the spot and pacified the agitating people. "I am poor labourer, they have sent me Rs 750 bill for my one room house, from where I get this money and pay them" said an agitator. A widow also claims that she had received Rs. 1400 bill for her two room house and had arrived at PDD office Kishtwar for redresser of the issue. She termed the PDD official move as injustice. The protesters said that the department not only dupe them, but also befool them at the time of installation of meters. They said that charging flat rates from them instead of bills at par with metered readings is unconstitutional. They said that multiple storied buildings were charged less money as compared to one or two room houses. "I wonder that my neighbours having multiple storied buildings received less amount bills as compared to me" said one Asif Hussain. Another protestor said that he also wonder to see that those house owners who outsourced their houses for rental purpose with multiple tenants also received less bills. They said that the department give a blizzard answer in reply to their quarries with regard to sending them flat rate bills. "They told us that we did not consume 100 units of electricity in a month" said protesters. They said that under present circumstances when PDD department restored to 15 to 16 hour power cuts every day, it is not possible for the people to consume 100 units electricity. They said that department has also revised their loads on its own. Later SHO Police Station Kishtwar also meet the PDD officials and take necessary information with regard to the power bill crises. SHO assured the people that he will take up the matter with senior officers of the administration through proper channel. Before calling off the protest, the people threatened more protest in future in case the issue was not addressed. |
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