Pulwama, Jan 16: Residents of Wahibugh and neighbouring villages have accused a local Khidmat Centre of malpractice and inefficiency in handling their monthly power bill payments.
Several elderly residents revealed to Rising Kashmir that they regularly submit their power bills at the Khidmat Centre located in the Wazanpora locality of Wahibugh. This centre, authorised to collect power bills and other financial transactions, has allegedly been causing significant distress due to its operations.
Rafiq Ahmad, a resident of Chewa Kalan, shared a troubling incident involving his father, who submitted a power bill of ₹19,000 at the centre in July 2024.
“The bill amount was not credited to the biller’s account for nearly six months,” Rafiq said.
He added that this delay has become a recurring issue, forcing customers to endure financial penalties due to accrued interest.
Mohammad Abdullah, an elderly resident of Looswani, recounted a similar experience. “I deposited the bill for the past month, only to find out it was not paid,” he said.
Abdullah said that payments are often processed only after customers raise complaints about the centre’s negligence.
The residents complained of being forced to repeatedly visit the Khidmat Centre, despite having done nothing wrong. They added that the issue was also reported to the Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) of KPDCL Newa, who advised them to take up the matter with the concerned branch of J&K Bank.
Despite raising their concerns with the branch manager of J&K Bank Wahibugh, the residents claim their grievances have not been addressed.
They are now appealing to higher authorities to streamline and regulate the transactions at the Khidmat Centre to prevent further exploitation.
The Khidmat Centre Operator told Rising Kashmir that around 300 power bills are being collected and paid a month at the facility.
“Some bills which are received after the due date remain unpaid,” he said, adding that the pending bills are taken on priority basis in the subsequent month.
He rejected any malpractices being done at the centre.
The branch manager of the Jammu and Kashmir bank Wahibugh suggested consumers to avail online payment facility.
He also assured to take up the matter with the concerned Khidmat Centre.
