Srinagar ,14-Mar: The resident of Majeed Bagh in Sanat-Nagar area staged a protest against the PDD authorities for a sudden increase in the monthly electricity tariff after installation of smart meters.The aggrieved locals staged protest while displaying electricity bills rs 5000 to 7000 in their hands “For domestic use, we are now made to pay huge sums, even as we don’t have such income; if PDD is adamant on making us pay the bills, then we do not need the electricity; we have been living without it, we can live without it,” the protestors said.They said that the PDD was making the locals suffer by resorting to such decisions unilaterally. The protesters alleged that they fail to understand the logic behind the sudden hike in the electricity bill as PDD deprived consumers of previous reading before installing smart meters in the area. The residents appealed to the concerned authorities to revise their monthly bills and ensure that they are made to pay a constant amount per month. “The bill should be as per the usage in the domestic sector; we have been paying Rs 750 and we will continue to do so,” the protestors said. Meanwhile, the process of installing smart meters began in December last year to control electricity thefts. The Jammu and Kashmir government has set the target of installing four lakh smart meters in union territory by 2023. Notably, several areas of Kashmir valley have also protested in the past against the installation of smart meters.(CNS)
