Srinagar, Nov 21, KDC: The Jammu & Kashmir government’s proposal to impose a 20 percent peak-hour electricity surcharge has drawn sharp criticism from senior political leaders, with PDP MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Para and NC MLA Tanvir Sadiq condemning it as “cruel” and “ill-timed.”
Para, speaking on X, urged the administration to conduct a “real ground assessment” before hiking electricity charges, warning that while affluent residents may not feel the pinch, “for ordinary Kashmiris, winter is a battle for survival.” He added, “In Kashmir, electricity is not a luxury, it is life support,” and argued that increasing tariffs on the poor and middle class would be “cruel and catastrophic.”
Sadiq, meanwhile, said the proposed surcharge was “unfair and ill-timed,” underscoring his belief that electricity is a necessity, not a luxury. He further asserted that the government must not place additional financial burdens on residents already facing the hardships of the Valley’s harsh winter.
The proposal by the Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited (KPDCL) seeks JERC approval to impose a 20 percent surcharge during morning and evening peak hours under a Time-of-Day tariff system — a move that has also been opposed by other parties, including the Apni Party and Peoples Conference, as well as by the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (KDC)
