Srinagar, August 24 (KNS) : Senior leaders and workers of the Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Party General Secretary Mohammad Khursheed Alam, Monday staged a strong protest against the 6.83% hike in electricity tariffs, terming it yet another burden on the people of Jammu & Kashmir.
The protest was joined by Asiya Naqash, Anjum Fazili, Iqbal tramboo Noor mohd Shiekh Qayoom Bhat, Party Spokesperson Mohammad Iqbal Tramboo, Syed Tajamul, Shokia Qureshi, Arif Laigroo altaf tambakoo bashir beigh Shiekh Sabah khalid mir umar Dar shafi Kundangar and fayaz reshi along with a large number of party workers.
Addressing the media, PDP General Secretary Mohammad Khursheed Alam strongly condemned the tariff hike, saying that people had voted for change and relief, but were instead being burdened with rising costs.
“People voted for this government with the hope of relief, but today they feel looted by rising tariffs and increasing costs. The government has failed to honour the expectations of the people who placed their trust in it. At a time when families are struggling with inflation and unemployment, increasing electricity tariffs is completely unjustified,” Alam said.
Former Minister Asiya Naqash said the government should be providing relief to ordinary households instead of increasing their financial burden.
“Electricity is a basic necessity, and the government must understand the difficulties being faced by common people. This tariff hike will disproportionately affect poor and middle-class families who are already struggling to meet their daily expenses.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelThe decision should be rolled back immediately,” Naqash said.
PDP spokesperson Mohammad Iqbal Tramboo said the tariff hike reflected the government’s failure to address the genuine concerns of electricity consumers.
“People are already burdened with high electricity bills and the rising cost of essential commodities. Adding another 6.83% to the tariff will further squeeze household budgets. The government must withdraw this anti-people decision and provide immediate relief to consumers,” Tramboo said.
PDP LEADER Arif Laigroo said the tariff hike would further aggravate the difficulties faced by families across Jammu & Kashmir.
“At a time when people are demanding affordable electricity and relief from mounting expenses, another tariff hike is unacceptable. Electricity is an essential service, not a luxury. Instead of imposing additional burdens on consumers, the government should focus on improving power supply, reducing wastage and ensuring accountability in the power sector,” Laigroo said.
The PDP leaders demanded the immediate rollback of the 6.83% tariff hike, asserting that electricity is an essential service and should not be used as a means of placing additional financial pressure on the people.
The party reiterated its commitment to raising the genuine concerns of the people and opposing policies that adversely affect their economic well-being.(KNS)