Watchi residents allege getting unscheduled power supply
Shopian: The residents of Watchi area of south Kashmir’s Shopian district said that the PDD has been resorting unscheduled power cuts in the area despite increasing electric fee five times during the past one year.
The residents of Watchi area said that PDD hiked their monthly tariffs to around Rs 1700 and alleged that PDD was making the locals suffer by resorting to such decisions unilaterally.
They said that they have been submitting their fee despite problems but the sad part is that the PDD is resorting to unscheduled power cuts that too in summer.
They said that they fail to understand the logic behind the five times hike in the electricity bill when unscheduled power cuts are increasing with each passing day.
“Hike in power tariff is increasing our sufferings. We are unable to pay double electricity bills,” the locals said.
Javaid Ahmad, a resident of Watchi said that the fee has been increased from 250 to Rs 1700 in the last one year which is sheer injustice with the locals as most of them are labourers and are operating small businesses.
“I fail to understand how the load increased five times during the last one year and as such our fee has been increased as many times” he said.
“Neither any transformer, nor any pole or anything has been installed in the area, then one fails to understand, how our fee has been increased in such a way that poor people are unable to pay it,” he added.
The locals said that the department has failed in providing them even transmission wires and poles and on the other hand they to resorting to fee hike so frequently.
The residents said that daily unscheduled and frequent power cuts take a heavy toll on them that too in summer.
“Both load agreement and bill amount is being increased without taking consent from the consumers that shocks the customers ,” said Waris Ahmad, another resident.
He said people living in Watchi area are financially weak and continuous hike in bills is adding burden on them.
“If government is increasing monthly tariffs then they must upgrade the infrastructure as well. The power lines are tied with trees as the department did not provide adequate electric poles in the area,” he said.
The residents appealed to the PDD to reconsider their decision to hike the monthly bills especially in the prevailing tough times.
“We hope that a realistic and compassionate view will be taken by the PDD in this regard,” the residents said.
They said that government must take cognizance of unscheduled power cuts in the area as well.
