Srinagar September 25 :(KNS) The internet shutdown post-August 5, 2019, in J& K and the situation arising from ongoing Pandemic Covid-19, have been exploited and misused to the hilt by the bosses in the government sector as well as the private sector.
These two events and the situation arising thereof have given exponential rise to the corruption in the government sector and the exploitation of employees by the employers in the private sector.

In the government sector, almost the whole official functioning of all departments remained affected. The Power Development Department (PDD) could not issue electricity bills for six months. The same was the case with PHE. The non-issuance of bills by these departments caused mental distress to all people in general and poor in particular because of obvious reasons. Then again due to Covid-19, PDD stopped issuing bills.
Now for the last six months, a large chunk of consumers is not yet getting bills. These and other consumers, who have allegedly been issued incorrect or inaccurate bills, continue to throng the PDD offices in entire Kashmir to obtain bills or get incorrect bills corrected.
The consumers want to pay the tariff and get rid of anxiety but they do not find it so easy.
"The undesirable situation arising from inordinate delay in billing process has given rise to the worst kind of corruption in the power development department (PDD). “It provided ample opportunity to the unscrupulous elements to indulge in corruption and exploitation of innocent and gullible consumers, " said a senior citizen.
"The law-abiding consumers who would otherwise invariably pay the tariff each month are the victims of the situation as they show no inclination to grease the palms of those who act as brokers between PDD officials and consumers to get the issues settled," he added.
The senior citizen alleged that the PPD field employees were the main beneficiaries of the obtaining crisis.
He claimed that the theory of technical faults was an untenable excuse rather than a genuine reason for the delay in billing.
"The delay in billing process or putting out incorrect and inflated bills seems to be a deliberate attempt to pester consumers and compel them to shell out money as gratification," said another man accompanying the senior citizen, adding that "Poor consumers are subjected to different humiliations by the officials at PDD offices."
Seeking intervention of the LG J&K , they demanded an immediate end to this 'exploitation' and action against the officials responsible for delaying the billing process and putting out inflated bills.(KNS)