{"id":4410,"date":"2025-11-21T17:05:47","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T17:05:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theasiaspeaks.com\/?p=4410"},"modified":"2025-11-21T17:05:49","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T17:05:49","slug":"political-trade-bodies-unite-against-proposed-20-peak-hour-power-hike-in-kashmir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theasiaspeaks.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/21\/political-trade-bodies-unite-against-proposed-20-peak-hour-power-hike-in-kashmir\/","title":{"rendered":"Political, Trade Bodies Unite Against Proposed 20% Peak-Hour Power Hike in Kashmir"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Srinagar, Nov 21 :<\/strong>\u00a0As the Jammu & Kashmir Government came under fierce criticism from opposition parties over the Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited\u2019s (KPDCL) proposal to levy a 20 percent surcharge on power consumption during peak hours, the National Conference-led government on Friday said it will not allow the people of J&K to be burdened with any such \u201cunfair\u201d and \u201cill-timed\u201d proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), NC leader and MLA Zadibal Tanvir Sadiq said the Omar Abdullah-led government has already taken a clear stand against the proposed 20% peak-hour surcharge. \u201cIn a harsh Kashmiri winter, power is a necessity, not a luxury. The Omar Abdullah\u2013led government will not allow the people of J&K to be burdened with any such unfair and ill-timed proposal,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NC spokesman clarified the government\u2019s stand on the proposal submitted by KPDCL-a DISCOM-to the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission after facing criticism from several opposition parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apni Party president Syed Altaf Bukhari described the proposal as a \u201cgrave injustice\u201d to the people of Kashmir. \u201cKPDCL\u2019s proposal to impose a 20% surcharge on power tariffs during peak hours is a grave injustice to people who are already struggling to survive an economic crisis. Most of our population depends on tourism and horticulture\u2014sectors that have suffered massive losses this year. Other businesses are also in decline. In such times, increasing electricity charges for mornings and evenings-when families rely on power the most in freezing cold-cannot be justified,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also termed the proposal a grave injustice, saying that people are already struggling to survive an economic crisis as businesses decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said that instead of easing people\u2019s problems, the government is adding to their woes. \u201cRather than fulfilling the commitment of providing 200 units of free electricity to the poor, new burdens are being placed on people. I urge the government to immediately withdraw this anti-people proposal,\u201d an official handout quoted him as saying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peoples Democratic Party MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Para termed the proposal \u201ccruel\u201d and \u201ccatastrophic.\u201d \u201cJ&K government must do a real ground assessment before hiking electricity charges. People in posh areas may not feel it, but for ordinary Kashmiris, winter is a battle for survival. In Kashmir, electricity is not a luxury, it is life support. At a time when families are already struggling, raising tariffs on the poor and middle class will be cruel and catastrophic. Policies that ignore human suffering have no place in a just administration,\u201d Para wrote on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kashmir Trade Alliance (KTA) also voiced strong opposition to the proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement, KTA President Aijaz Shahdhar termed the proposal \u201carbitrary\u201d and \u201cunjustified,\u201d warning that such a move would severely impact the business community and the general public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) also opposed the proposal, calling it unjustified, punitive, and an attempt to shift the burden of systemic failures onto the people of Kashmir.\u2014(KNO)<\/strong><\/p>\n

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