Samba, July 10: Apni Party Provincial President, Jammu and former minister, S Manjit Singh on Wednesday urged the government to reduce the electricity tariff. He sought clarification from the administration for “denying 24×7 electricity supply even after charging huge electricity bills to the power consumers”.
Singh, according to a statement issued here, said this during an extensive tour of the Bari Brahmana Block in Samba district. He was accompanied by Scheduled Tribe, J&K President of the Party, Saleem Alam.
Addressing the people after they raised serious concerns over the unscheduled power cuts and irregular drinking water supply in the block, the former minister expressed surprise as to what the JPDCL and Jal Shakti Department could do with the people, especially when the Jammu plains including Samba and Kathua is affected with the heart-wave.
After hearing the grievances of the people, he said, “Apparently, the government is not working for the welfare of the people as the bureaucracy has taken over the charge for the last several years without an elected government.”
As there is no elected government, the problems for the common masses have multiplied and the grievance redressal system has completely collapsed, he said, adding that the government has failed to ensure 24×7 electricity to the people even after charging huge charges.
“These charges have put an additional burden on the pockets of the general masses and led to strong resentment. The unscheduled power cuts have also affected drinking water supply and overall, it has given rise to the feeling of discontent among the people against the government,” he added.
Singh asked the government to come clear regarding the existing power crises in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of a shortage of electricity that has collapsed the entire supply system.
The former minister visited several residential areas, and all of them raised their voice against JPDCL for its inability to provide adequate electricity supply. At the time when the JPDCL failed, he lauded the role of daily wagers, who work round the clock and ensure the people get electricity.
“These daily wagers work in very less amount of daily wager which should be enhanced to a respectable level, and accordingly, the shortage of linemen is a sign of poor planning in the department,” he said. The Apni Party leader demanded that recruitment for the linemen should be conducted to fill up all the vacant posts in the JPDCL.
He also demanded that the daily wagers should be regularised and their demand for minimum wage act should be implemented so that the departments in the J&K government continue working without a break.
