Aazan Manzoor
Srinagar, Sep 22 (JKNS): Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, on Tuesday, said that the government is making efforts to extend the electricity bill amnesty scheme, while stressing the need to balance relief for needy consumers with fairness to those who have regularly paid their bills.
Speaking in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, as per news agency JKNS, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that the government is making efforts to extend the amnesty scheme on electricity bills.
Omar said that not introducing an amnesty would amount to injustice to those who are entitled to the relief, as pointed out by a member in the House.
However, he said that extending the benefit also raises concerns for consumers who regularly pay their electricity bills.
“We are trying to extend the amnesty. If we tell consumers not to pay their bills as they will get amnesty, then when amnesty is given to one category, another consumer may ask why they should pay their bills,” Omar said.
The Chief Minister said that, in his view, amnesty is necessary for people who genuinely need the relief, while extending it indiscriminately could be unfair to consumers who have been regularly paying their bills.
He said the government is examining the matter with the aim of providing relief to those who genuinely require it without penalising honest consumers. (JKNS)
