Sajad Lone slams Omar Abdullah over J&K power tariff hike

Peoples' Conference chairman Sajad Gani Lone has attacked Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over the recent power tariff hike, accusing him of misleading voters. The JERC approved a 6.83% tariff increase from September 1. Omar Abdullah defended the hike on Monday, saying his government never promised rates would not rise, only that 200 units of free electricity would be provided to the poorest households.

Lone posted on X that the chief minister did not make comparisons with other states during the election campaign when seeking votes. He attached the NC election manifesto page and claimed the 6.8% increase amounts to over Rs 500 crore burden on consumers. He also alleged that promises of free 200 units have been restricted to AAY ration card holders, covering only about 2 lakh families, and calculated that the CM owes Rs 2,200 crore to the poorest consumers.

Omar Abdullah countered that the hike is minimal after four years, compared to a 14% increase under previous governments. He said the step was a compulsion due to power sector losses and that rates will drop as losses reduce. The PDP, BJP and People's Conference have all criticised the move, with the PDP staging a protest demanding a rollback.