Raja Syed Rather
Ganderbal, Apr 11: The residents of the Gangerham area in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on Tuesday staged a protest against the Power Development Department (PDD) for the installation of smart meters.
Eyewitnesses said that women hit the streets and blocked the Duderhama road while raising slogans against the PDD. They staged demonstrations against the installation of smart meters.
The protesters said their families are not in a position to pay the “excessive” bills generated by the smart meters, so would not allow the department to install these in their area. “We already have meters installed in our homes and we are paying regular bills. What is the need of installing these new meters?” one of the protesting ladies said.
She said her family is already stressed due to the skyrocketing prices of essentials, and won’t be able to meet the additional expenses.
Similarly, another protester said, “We are poor families here, and the majority of our men are daily wagers.”
Later, SHO Ganderbal and SHO Kheer Bhawani who were accompanied by other officials pacified the protesters and the road was cleared for vehicular movement.
