Tral, Jan 10 — Residents of Satoora in south Kashmir’s Tral area staged a protest on Saturday against what they described as arbitrary and steep hikes in electricity bills, saying their monthly charges have risen nearly fourfold over the past year despite no change in consumption.
Watch | Understanding Kashmir’s Power Crisis
Protesters said the spike began after the introduction of smart billing, but without the installation of electricity meters in their locality, leaving families with little way to verify or challenge the amounts they are being asked to pay.
“We used to receive bills of Rs 400 to Rs 600. Now we are being charged between Rs 1,800 and Rs 2,000 for the same usage,” a local resident said. “There is no explanation for this jump. How are poor families supposed to pay this?”
Scores of residents, including women, assembled in the area, raising slogans and demanding immediate installation of electricity meters so that billing is based on actual consumption.
Many said the increased bills have placed severe strain on households, particularly daily wage earners and economically weaker families.
“Electricity has become a luxury for us,” a woman protester said. “Either we pay these bills or we manage our basic needs. The government talks about helping the poor, but here we are being pushed deeper into hardship.”
Residents said they are not opposed to paying for power, but want a transparent system.
“If the department wants to charge as per usage, then install meters first,” another protester said. “We will pay whatever we consume, but not inflated amounts pulled out of nowhere.”
The protesters warned that they would step up their agitation if the issue is not resolved and urged the district administration to intervene.
“Without meters, these bills make no sense,” a resident said. “This has created anger and distress across Satoora. The authorities must act before things get worse.”