Hajin resident express concern of ‘unjustified’ power bills

Hajin, May 13: The residents of a metered area in Hajin area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district Saturday raised concerns over hiked electricity bills issued by the Power Development Department (PDD).
The locals said that the unexpected billing practice has raised eyebrows and sparked confusion among the locals.
The development came to light when residents began receiving electricity bills, combining charges including meter consumption and flat rate. Confusion quickly spread throughout the locality, as the residents grappled to comprehend the logic behind such an unusual billing method.
“Being a metered area, the bills we receive from the PDD department are supposed to adhere to the meter schedule. However, it has come to our attention that an additional flat rate of 11 hundred is being added to the bills,” stated another resident. “When we approached the concerned authority to address this issue, we were asked to visit their office, even though the fault lies on their end,” said Zahoor Ahmad Dar, a resident of Mir Mohalla, Hajin.
“I have never seen such a bizarre billing practice in my entire life. It’s like they want to keep us in the dark about how they calculate our charges. We demand answers!” Mushtaq Ahmad, a local said.
“I hope this billing confusion gets sorted out soon. It shouldn’t be this complicated to understand how much we owe for our utilities,” Mumtaz Ahmad, another resident said.
The local residents have raised concerns over the lack of clarity regarding the calculation of charges for each element. An official, however, has assured the residents that the matter will be thoroughly investigated.