In what can be seen as playing down the controversy and allay the apprehensions of people, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said there is no proposal to hike electricity tariffs in Jammu and Kashmir.
"There is no proposal to hike electricity tariffs in Jammu and Kashmir", Chief Minister said, junking reports of imposition of a 20 per cent surcharge on the base power tariff for consumption during designated peak hours in the Valley.“No electricity hike is proposed, and I do not know where this rumour started,” Omar, who holds charge of the Power Department, said.“I am also the Power Minister and so far no such discussion (to hike power tariff) has taken place, leave aside my signature on the claimed proposal. There is no proposal to hike the power tariff before the Government,” Omar said.
The Chief Minister said he has already made it clear in the budget that there will be no hike in the electricity fee. “Unnecessarily, this has made an issue.”The statement from Chief Minister on the issue has come as relief amid growing outrage over reports of a proposed 20 percent hike in electricity tariffs during peak hours in Kashmir. He also termed the controversy baseless and blown out of proportion.
“There is no proposal to hike electricity charges. I do not know where this rumour started,” Omar told reporters on the sidelines of an event. He said that no discussion has taken place within the government regarding a surcharge on peak-hour power consumption in the Valley.Omar, who also holds the power portfolio, reiterated that the claims are unfounded. “I am also the power minister. No such proposal has come before me, let alone my signature on it. I have already stated in the budget that there will be no hike in the electricity fee. This issue is being made unnecessarily,” he said.
The uproar over the tariff hike came after reports that Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited (KPDCL) had proposed a 20 percent surcharge for morning and evening peak hours. The corporation had sought approval from the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) to impose the surcharge on all categories of consumers except agriculture.
“KPDCL has proposed a 20 percent surcharge on tariff for the peak hours of the day. As of now, no decision has been taken by the regulatory commission,” KPDCL Managing Director Mahmood Ahmad Shah had told a local news agency.The proposal was part of the Time of Day (ToD) tariff mechanism, under which electricity rates vary based on consumption hours. However, it sparked strong opposition across political and trade circles.
Leader of Opposition and senior BJP leader Sunil Sharma accused the National Conference of “electoral fraud,” saying the party had promised free electricity and was now prepared to burden people with an “outrageous” hike.
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