Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 7: Launching a scathing attack on the State Government for its gross failure in providing relief to the people of Jammu region from the ongoing power crisis, State president of NPP and former MLA Udhampur, Balwant Singh Mankotia strongly condemned the discriminatory behaviour of the PDP-State Govt for conducting raids on the consumers of Jammu region for tariff realization but giving concession to the consumers of Kashmir.
He vociferously advocated for a separate “Statehood for Jammu” during “Haq Insaaf Rally”which reached Roopnagar in Jammu today.
While addressing a public meeting, Mankotia regretted that Jammu Pradesh was being discriminated in all spheres whether it might be employment, provision of basic civic amenities, allotment of funds, socio-political rights, etc. He said that the acute power crisis has not only made the life of a common man miserable in the towns and cities but also in the hinterland and remote areas during the ongoing summer season thus making people’s life a living hell.
The NPP leader said that BJP-PDP Government was extorting high power tariff from Jammu province despite less electricity consumption but on the contrary, the power consumption in Kashmir valley was much higher with paltry realization of power tariff.
Giving details of the official power statistics, he said that the power consumption between Jammu and Kashmir regions is in the proportion of 40:60 respectively, but as far as the revenue realization was concerned, he said that as per 2015-16 financial year, the PDD realized Rs 1074 crore revenue from Jammu region as compared to Rs 835 crore from Kashmir valley. Similarly, during 2016-17 financial year, revenue to the tune of Rs 1111 crore was realized from Jammu region while the tariff collection from Kashmir valley was merely worth Rs 733 crore.
Lambasting the State Govt and PDD in particular for being biased towards Jammu region, he said that the much trumpeted drive against power theft and illegal power connections had been selective towards the consumers of Jammu region where as the consumers of Kashmir valley were enjoying the patronage of the sinister dispensation. He said the way, the raids were carried out on the Jammu consumers, traders, industrialists and others by the PDD only indicated that the State Govt was hell bent to subjugate Jammu region for appeasing the Valley to enjoy the luxury and comfort of power.
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