Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 30: The residents of Ikhrajpora today staged a protest against the installation of smart electric meters in the area stating that the Government was making the lives of poor people difficult.
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Scores of women came out on the road, raising slogans in favor of their demands while urging the concerned department not to go ahead with the move of installing the smart meters-a drive that is ongoing in various Kashmir areas.
“We are poor and our men are making their ends meet through labour and we will not be able to pay the hefty bills that will be generated after the installation of the smart meters,” one of the protesting women said.
The protestors said that they are still suffering due to the flood that hit Kashmir in 2014 and that they have received peanuts in the name of compensation from the Government.
“We were told to take loans to rebuild our houses, which we did, and then got nothing from the Government; we are also paying those loans back, and now, another burden is being put on us,” the residents said.
The resident said that even for getting the drinking water, they have to use the water motors which they won’t be able to do after the installation of meters.
“And now that if they will install meters, we will not be able to use the motors and hence we will not get to have the drinking water, isn’t that sheer injustice,” they said.
The aggrieved residents appealed to the concerned higher-ups to look into the matter so that the problem they are facing is resolved.
“We will not allow the installation of the meters in the area because it will make things difficult for us; we have faced a lot and will not allow the authorities to make life difficult for us,” the residents said.
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