Apni Party General Secretary Rafi Ahmad Mir Thursday appealed the J&K government to grant a one-time general amnesty to the people regarding their pending electricity bills until this financial year.
A statement of Apni Party issued here quoted Mir as saying that the people of J&K had already suffered immensely on economic grounds due to incessant strikes post 5th August 2019 situation and the disastrous COVID-19 lockdown.
“The economic condition of the people of J&K has become pathetic due to interminable economic inertia. The strikes and lockdowns have broken the back of our economy for which the government must reciprocate with a lenient and humanitarian approach and waive off electric and water supply bills raised till the end of this financial year,” he said.
Mir said that the government was duty bound to take initiatives for the welfare of the people, especially in a calamitous situation like the post-COVID era.
“The people must be given respite under these disastrous circumstances. I appeal the government to consider this matter seriously and declare a one-time fee waiver to the consumers in J&K,” he said.
He also urged the government to take measures towards tariff rationalisation by identifying barriers and chalking out suitable ways to achieve this objective by the Power Development Corporation.
“People of J&K have witnessed instability for the past many decades and their economic distress has seen manifold increase because of political uncertainty and COVID-19 pandemic. The present dispensation needs to take cognisance of this situation and take concrete steps to mitigate the sufferings of the people,” he said.