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| Meter Hatao, Heater Lagao! | | Power Minister has no slogan, constituency | | Hike in tariff, defunct meters puncture tall claims
Fazal Khan
Srinagar, Aug 8: As the Assembly elections are coming closer, the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, who is also the Power Minister, is busy inaugurating small grid and receiving stations across Kashmir. He wants to put a lid over the unprecedented hike in power tariff which JK witnessed during the past five and a half years of his rule by propagating that state is all set to achieve self-reliance in the power sector.
Omar as a Power Minister “failed miserably.” When he launched the election campaign in 2008 his slogan “Meter Hatao, Heater Lagao” became very popular across the Valley. He promised people that if National Conference forms the Government it would revolutionize the power sector. Omar during 2008 election campaign went on record to say that first thing NC Government would do is that it would remove the meters. Soon after NC led dispensation took the reins of the state. The first thing Omar did was he raised the power tariff across JK and forgot about his promise. “In the past five and a half years power tariff has increased by 400 percent. In many areas where meters have become defunct the PDD people charge at their will. The minimum flat rate charged by the PDD is Rs 1400 per household,” said a source.
Asked why PDD is charging the flat rate despite installing meters, he said, “Most meters purchased by the department were of the inferior quality which stopped working after a few months. After the meters became defunct the PDD men started charging a flat rate. When consumers realized that they are paying through their nose and meters have become defunct PDD men advised them to buy new meters from the open market.”
“All top PDD officials in the Power Minister are aware about this fact but they have done nothing to help the people out. Chief Minister inaugurating small power and grid stations is just aimed at taking people for a ride. It’s a cosmetic exercise nothing else,” the source added.
“Omar had raised the slogan of meter hatao, heater lagaoin 2008 to hoodwink the people and it eventually got proved in these five and a half years,” said a consumer from posh Jawahar Nagar area.
“Omar not living upto the expectations of people and failing miserably to deliver has put him in a difficult situation. He is not even finding a constituency from where he can contest the forthcoming polls,” said an analyst.
He said Omar this time neither has a constituency nor he has a slogan like “Meter Hatao Heater Lagao.” “Omar has realized that he despite being a Chief Minister has a poor report card and hollow slogans are not enough to lure voters,” the analyst added.
The People’s Democratic Party spokesman Naeem Akther while talking to Early Times said, “Omar Abdullah not finding a safe constituency to contest and running short of slogans should serve as an eye opener for all the politicians that never take people for granted in democracy.”
Akther said, “Omar’s dismal performance as Power Minister and his hollow slogans have exposed him before the masses. His last minute efforts are not going to help his cause.”
Meanwhile, senior PDP leader and party’s candidate from Amira Kadal constituency Altaf Bukhari said, “Complaints about power meters being defunct and PDD charging at will are galore in my constituency. It is unfortunate that Omar as Power Minister has failed to rationalize the system.”
“Mistakes committed by Omar and his Government have disillusioned people. They are waiting for elections
as they want to get rid of the present dispensation,” Bukhari added. |
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