| News Details |
| Hakeem Yaseen Opposes Electricity Tariff Hike, Seeks Immediate Rollback | | Holds successive governments responsible for handing over J&K’s hydropower resources |
Srinagar, August 24 (Scoop News)- President of the People’s Democratic Front (PDF) and former Cabinet Minister Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen on Monday strongly opposed the recently approved hike in electricity tariffs in Jammu and Kashmir, demanding its immediate withdrawal and asking the government to honour its electoral commitment of providing 200 units of free electricity.
Reacting to the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) approval of an average 6.83 per cent increase in retail electricity supply tariff for the financial year 2026-27, Yaseen said the hike would further burden ordinary consumers already facing economic difficulties, unemployment and rising household expenses.
Yaseen said successive political parties, including the ruling Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), must share responsibility for what he described as the failure to secure adequate benefits for the people of J&K from the region's water and hydropower resources.
“Jammu and Kashmir was blessed by nature with abundant water resources, yet our people continue to face power shortages and are now being asked to pay more for electricity. Successive governments have been in power, but no serious decision was taken to ensure that the people of J&K receive the rightful benefit from their own resources,” he said.
The PDF president alleged that political parties that have governed J&K over the years failed to protect the economic interests of the common people while allowing the region's hydropower potential to be utilised for projects benefiting the Centre.
“We are a resource-rich region, but our own people are being made to purchase electricity at higher rates. Those responsible for this situation should apologise to the people,” Yaseen said.
He also questioned the timing of the tariff revision, saying that the government should have taken into account the economic hardships faced by households, particularly amid unemployment and other pressing socioeconomic challenges.
Yaseen urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene and direct the concerned authorities to withdraw the tariff hike.
He said the government had made a commitment during the elections to provide 200 units of free electricity and should fulfil that promise instead of imposing an additional financial burden on consumers.
“The government should honour its electoral promise of 200 units of free electricity. Instead of increasing the burden on consumers, the tariff order should be revoked and the commitment made to the people should be implemented,” he said.
Yaseen called upon the government to review its electricity policy and formulate a long-term strategy aimed at ensuring affordable and reliable power supply to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
He maintained that the benefits of J&K's natural resources should first reach its people and demanded greater transparency and accountability in decisions concerning the region's power sector.
Earlier revised tariff was approved through JERC Order No. 06 of 2026 dated August 20 and is scheduled to come into effect from September 1, 2026, and remain applicable up to March 31, 2027, unless modified, extended or replaced by a subsequent order of the Commission.
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