Uri residents protest over ‘inflated’ bills being issued by PDD

Baramulla: The residents of Uri in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district staged a massive protest Monday against the Power Development Department (PDD) over the inflated electricity bills being issued to the consumers for the January month.

The aggrieved consumers while displaying the fresh electricity bills gathered in the main chowk Uri and raised slogans against the PDD department.

The agitating people including members of Panchayti Raj Institution (PI) said that though they have been receiving inflated electricity bills from the last three months, however, the PDD authorities issued much higher January bills prompting people to raise their voice against this.

“The Uri area is already witnessing severe electricity shortage,” said Muhammad Munawar, an Uri resident. “It seems the PDD authorities have issued flat rate bills and not as per the metre reading,” added Munawar.

While expressing their resentment over the inflated bills, the infuriated residents said that despite the area housing four big power projects, electricity from which goes to the maximum of north India, the people of the place who gave land for such projects were not provided any benefits.

“The residents of Uri deserve some relaxation in electricity charges as people here have given their precious land to the authorities for the construction of four major power projects. However, instead of some relief people are being charged excessively and beyond their income,” said Irshad Ahmad, a local resident.

The protesters, after blocking the main road at Uri main chowk for several hours, lifted their protest as top administrative officials assured them that the matter will be taken up with the concerned department.