Banihal ,19 July 2020 (KNS): National Conference district president Ramban Sajjad Shaheen on Sunday said it was unfortunate that the government has burdened the people by hiking power bills at a time when they were reeling under the coronavirus crisis.

In a statement to KNS, he termed the decision of hiking electricity bills as “illogical.’’ For a lower middle class family, the bill used to come to ?100 to 200 per month, including user charges, but now it had shot up two to three times more. When the majority of people living in JK have been badly hit due to continuous Lock down due to out break of Coronavirus pandemic, in a situation people were expecting the Administration coming to the rescue of people, but unfortunately the JK Administration was burdening them with inflated bills, he said.

Sajjad Shaheen, during a day long extensive tour of Pogal, Maligam, Nowra, Khawrihal, Mundkhal, Kunda, Thana, Bass, Gohala and ,Ramsoo took stock of the problems faced by the inhabitants of these villages.

People from various sections of the society met Shaheen and apprised him about their day-to-day problems like shortage of drinking water and inadequate facilities of electricity, health care and education.

Expressing concern over delay in clearance of NREGA bills Shaheen has demand to release pending bills of workers who were engaged under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and under 14th FC and were waiting for release of their wages for the last many years.
The NC leader said the payment of wages and material of such works, which stand executed since years ago, have not been released and the same needs to be disbursed on priority in view of the prevailing hard times for the economically poor families.

It was also informed to Shaheen that dozens of kanals of land besides some houses have been damaged due to construction of Shalgarh-Panchal road under PMGSY in Adhal, Nowra, Khwrihal and Panchal, and no compensation has been paid to the affected families so far.

Later in the day Shaheen also visited the family of Nawaz Ahmed Patwari who had recently died in a tragic accident in Rajgarh ,Ramban to offer condolences to the family.

He was accompanied by Block present Pogal- Paristan Riyaz Ahmed Mir, Block vice president Master Bahar Ahmed Naik, Block secretary Shaqib ur Rehman Runyal ,Molvi Mohd Ibrahim and others. (KNS)