Srinagar, Nov 24: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) women’s wing on Monday staged a protest against the government’s proposed 20 per cent power tariff hike during peak hours.
Dozens of women workers assembled at the PDP office, carrying placards and banners highlighting the impact of rising electricity costs on ordinary households.
The protest saw participants chanting slogans, accusing the ruling government of neglecting public hardship amid the biting cold.
The protesters described the move as an “anti-people policy” that will disproportionately burden lower and middle-income families already struggling with erratic power supply during winter.
“We are on the streets because people are suffering. Instead of ensuring uninterrupted electricity, the government is tightening the noose around poor families by hiking rates,” one of the protesting women told KNO.
Witnesses also said police and security personnel were deployed outside the PDP headquarters to prevent the protesters from moving towards the city centre. The women workers, however, continued their demonstration within the premises, vowing to intensify protests if the decision is not withdrawn.
Later in the day, PDP President Mehbooba Mufti, also condemned the action, posting on X (formerly Twitter): “The J&K Police stopping PDPs Women Wing from holding a peaceful protest against the crushing rise in power tariffs is yet another continuation of the assault on our democratic rights since 2019. When even the most peaceful voices are throttled under the pretext of law and order it sends a chilling message that our pain is irrelevant that our rights are expendable and that speaking up now carries an unfair cost.”
The tweet further read, “this constant silencing is pushing Kashmiri’s to the wall suffocating our hopes and even our basic demand to be heard. Such relentless suppression leaves deep wounds on an entire community and fosters an overwhelming sense of collective punishment.”
Notably, the PDP’s women’s protest comes amid growing public concern over the proposed tariff revision, which consumers fear will further strain households already coping with inflation and erratic winter power supply—(KNO)
