Srinagar: Electricity was snapped in the Batamaloo area of Srinagar city after locals staged a protest against the installation of smart meters on Tuesday morning.
Local sources said that a large number of locals from Ziyarat Batamaloo Sahab hit to roads and stopped Kashmir Power Distribution Company Limited (KPDCL) staff from getting the smart meters installed in the area.
As a reaction, the electricity as per the locals was snapped and they are without the power supply since morning.
One of the locals said that the electricity was snapped shortly after the protest.
Consumers in Srinagar city are up in arms against the KPDCL. Everywhere in Srinagar city, the installation of smart meters have triggered protests; however, authorities are unmoved and continue to install the meters.
“People are ready to pay a fixed amount on a monthly basis and can’t afford the fatty bills generated by these Smart Meters. Nobody is here to listen to us,” said a female protester, adding they can’t afford fatty bills.
The protesters who blocked traffic near the bus stand in Batamaloo said that the administration is seeking pleasure in sucking the blood of poverty-ridden people.
“There should be an objective and balanced approach. Affluent ones should be charged on the basis of smart meters but those living below the poverty line should be exempted. This is a vicious form of social discrimination,” they said. [KNT]
