Yogesh
Jammu, Nov 24: After facing backlash over the proposed 20% hike in power tariffs during peak hours in Kashmir, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah on Monday said that the issue has been unnecessarily made a point of debate and there would be no hike in electricity rates.
Talking to the reporters on the sidelines launch ceremony of the first-ever auction of seven limestone mineral blocks in J&K, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said, “I am also the Power Minister and so far no discussion to hike power tariff has taken place, leave aside my signature on the claimed proposal. There is no plan to hike the power tariff before the government.”
The Chief Minister said, “Unnecessarily, this (hike in power tariff) has become an issue.”
Pertinently, last week it was reported that the Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited (KPDCL) has proposed an extra 20 percent surcharge on electricity consumption during morning and evening hours in the Valley.
The KPDCL had sought approval from Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) to impose the surcharge on all categories of consumers except for the agriculture sector during peak hours, when demand is at its highest due to the bone‑chilling cold in the Valley.
Managing Director KPDCL, Mahmood Ahmad Shah had said: “KPDCL has proposed a 20 percent surcharge on tariff for the peak hours of the day. As of now, no decision has been taken by the regulatory commission.”
The proposal, according to the officials, was a part of the Time of Day (ToD) tariff system, under which electricity costs vary depending on the time of consumption.
However, the proposal evoked strong reactions from different sections of the society.
Leader of Opposition (LoP) and senior BJP leader Sunil Sharma had accused the National Conference of committing “electoral fraud” by promising free electricity before elections and now burdening the people with proposed hefty 20 percent tariff hike.
“Omar Abdullah promised 200 units of free electricity to every household in Jammu and Kashmir. Today, more than a year later, instead of fulfilling that promise, his government is preparing to loot people with an outrageous 20 percent increase in peak-hour consumption charges,” Sharma had said.
Apni Party president Syed Altaf Bukhari had described the proposal as a “grave injustice” to the people of Kashmir.
Peoples Democratic Party MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Para termed the proposal “cruel” and “catastrophic.” “J&K government must do a real ground assessment before hiking electricity charges.
Peoples Conference general secretary Imran Reza Ansari had questioned the rationale behind the hike, demanding clarity on who within the Power Development Department authorized the “magical midnight-thought tariff ideas.” “
The Kashmir Trade Alliance (KTA) had voiced strong opposition to the proposal. KTA President Aijaz Shahdhar had termed it “arbitrary” and “unjustified,” warning that such a move would severely impact the business community and the general public.
The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) had also opposed the move, calling it unjustified and an attempt to shift the burden of systemic failures onto the people of Kashmir.
Shrine Board Medical College Row
Reacting on the controversy surrounding the selection of students for the MBBS programme at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi (SMVD) Institute of Medical Excellence, the Chief Minister stated that admissions were based on merit, not on the preference of boys and girls from any particular community.
In his remarks, CM Omar said, “When the Assembly had passed the bill to establish Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, where was it written that boys and girls belonging to one particular community will be kept out of it? It was said that admission to the university will be done based only on merit, not on religion.”
His comments came in the wake of protests triggered by the recent MBBS admissions at the Katra-based medical college, which saw 42 out of 50 seats allocated to Muslim students.
The controversy has sparked intense debate, with the BJP and several Hindu groups calling for the institution to reserve seats exclusively for Hindu students.
CM Omar took a dig at senior BJP leader and LoP Sunil Sharma, who had expressed strong reservations over the admission process.
Sharma, alongside representatives from different organisations, had met Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha last Saturday to raise concerns about the Muslim-majority admissions.
Sharma had argued that the process has sparked anger among devotees of Mata Vaishno Devi and the larger Hindu community.
