Excelsior Correspondent
RAJOURI, Dec 16: Strong protest was witnessed on Tuesday at the Tehsil headquarters, Khwas in Rajouri district as local residents staged a demonstration against the Power Development Department (PDD), District Administration and the Government, voicing serious grievances over inflated electricity bills and long-pending basic infrastructure demands.
A large number of people assembled at Khawas on Tuesday and took out a protest rally, raising slogans against what they termed as the “anti-people attitude” of the authorities. The protesters alleged that for the past several months they have been receiving exorbitantly high electricity bills despite frequent and prolonged power outages. In many cases, electricity remains unavailable for days together, yet consumers are billed for the entire month, causing severe financial distress.
The protesters highlighted that a majority of the population in the area belongs to economically weaker sections, and paying such inflated bills has become impossible. They termed the situation as unjust and demanded immediate correction of faulty/inflated billing, along with accountability from the concerned officials.
The agitating villagers also expressed strong resentment over the non-establishment of a Power Grid Station at Khwas, which, they said, was announced as far back as 1996. Even after nearly three decades, the promise remains unfulfilled, resulting in poor power supply to this densely populated region. They further alleged that despite being a Tehsil headquarters, Khwas continues to be deprived of essential facilities and development works.
Issuing a strong warning, the protesters appealed the Deputy Commissioner Rajouri, Additional Deputy Commissioner Kotranka, and Tehsildar Khwas that if their genuine and long-pending demands were not addressed at the earliest, they will be compelled to launch a large-scale agitation in the coming days.
The protesters sought immediate intervention of the administration to resolve the power-related issues, rationalize electricity bills, and expedite the establishment of the long-awaited grid station at Khwas.
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