‎Omar opposes repeated power bill amnesty, says it penalises timely payers

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‎Srinagar, Sep 22: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday opposed repeated amnesty schemes for electricity consumers, saying frequent waivers could discourage people from paying their bills on time and would be unfair to consumers who regularly clear their dues.
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‎The Chief Minister was responding to a question raised by BJP MLA Vikram Randhawa in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on the issue of electricity bills and amnesty.
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‎Omar said the government had increased the amnesty period several times in the past and was still considering whether it could be extended further.
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‎However, he said repeated amnesty could create a situation where consumers who pay their bills regularly feel disadvantaged compared to those who delay payments and later benefit from a waiver.
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‎“I feel that increasing the amnesty again and again is unfair to those who pay the bill,” Omar said.
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‎He said repeated amnesty could also create an impression among consumers that there was little need to pay electricity bills on time because another waiver could be announced later.
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‎“You are giving them the impression that if they do not pay the bill, we will get them the amnesty,” he said.
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‎The Chief Minister illustrated the issue by comparing two consumers, one who pays the electricity bill on time and another who does not, but later gets the benefit of an amnesty.
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‎“If you and I were consumers, we are neighbours. You pay the bill on time, I will not pay the bill. And then your bill will be forgiven under amnesty. And I will start thinking of myself as a fool. Why am I paying the bill?” Omar said.
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‎He, however, said the government would consider relief for consumers who genuinely cannot afford to pay their electricity bills.
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‎“For those for whom amnesty is very important, and those who really live below the poverty line, those who will never have the power to pay this bill, we will definitely consider them on merit,” he said.
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‎Omar said the government’s concern was to ensure that any future relief was targeted at consumers who genuinely needed it rather than becoming a recurring incentive for delaying payment.(KNS)
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