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'No electricity fee hike in J&K,' says CM Omar Abdullah; dismisses reports on proposed surcharge plan as 'rumours'

Amid widespread public outrage over reports suggesting a proposed plan by the Jammu and Kashmir government to impose a 20 per cent surcharge on electricity tariff during peak hours, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday dismissed the claims as umours. No electricity hike is proposed, and I do not know where this rumour started, Abdullah told reporters. I am also the power minister and so far no such discussion (to hike power tariff) has taken place, leave aside my signature on the claimed proposal. There is no proposal to hike the power tariff before the government, Abdullah stressed. The government has been facing severe backlash after the Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL), which handles electricity distribution in the Valley, sought approval from the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) to introduce a surcharge on all categories of consumers during peak hours (6 am to 10 am and 5 pm to 10 pm). Stating that he had already made it clear in the budget that there will be no hike in the electricity fee, the chief minister said, Unnecessarily, this has been made an issue. CM Abdullah made the remarks while speaking to the media after the launch of the first-ever auction of seven limestone mineral blocks in Anantnag, Rajouri and Poonch district here, a significant step in advancing the mining reforms introduced under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act (MMDR Act) in 2015. Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy and Deputy CM Surinder Choudhary were also present at the event. On the e-auction, the chief minister referred to his speech and said he wanted to put any speculation by his political friends on the issue to rest, that these blocks will not be given to anyone and the central government will have no control over these. The Union ministry of mines is assisting us so that the blocks are allotted in a transparent manner and the mining work also starts in J&K. Limestone is a very essential raw material for cement and attempts will be made that not only there will be mining work but a cement industry is also set up in the vicinity which could help creating jobs for unemployed youth, he said. (With inputs from PTI)