Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 20: The J&K National Conference has strongly opposed the decision of the J&K Government to replace smart power meters with prepaid meters.
Provincial President Rattan Lal Gupta criticized the move, asserting that merely switching from one type of meter to another would not address the root cause of corruption within the system.
He argued that the main issue lies with delinquent staff and corrupt consumers, not the meters themselves.
He condemned the Government’s approach of burdening the general public with advance payment of power bills, especially during a time when the population is already struggling due to the pandemic’s economic repercussions, inflation, and unemployment in J&K.
Criticizing the Government’s claim of making J&K a power surplus Union Territory, Gupta questioned the point of such announcements if the common people have to bear the brunt of covering up the power department’s losses.
He deemed it inhumane to force advance payment of power bills on the marginalized population while also claiming to bring surplus power to the region.
Gupta urged the Government to reconsider its decision and instead follow the examples of Delhi and Punjab Governments, which exempt consumers using up to 200 units from paying bills.
The senior NC leader further called on the Jammu Power Development Corporation Ltd (JPDCL) authorities to focus on supporting the population in challenging times instead of implementing such anti-people schemes.
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