Early Times Report Jammu, Aug 8: Launching a scathing attack on the State government for its gross failure in providing relief to the people of Jammu region from the ongoing power crisis, scores of Panthers Party activists along with local people spearheaded by Harsh Dev Singh chairman JKNPP, staged a dharna outside Divisional Office PDD against the unprecedented power cuts and huge voltage fluctuations in the entire region on Monday. Harsh Dev Singh while addressing the gathering regretted that the acute power crisis has made the life of common man miserable all across the Jammu region including Samba, Kathua, Udhampur, Reasi, Poonch, Rajouri, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban during the ongoing summer season. He said that scheduled and unscheduled power cuts during scorching summer had thrown life out of gear in both urban and rural areas with clamouring and grievances of people going un-heard and unaddressed. He regretted that despite the pathetic plight of the people, the mandated leaders of the saffron party had failed to effectively project their concerns. He deplored that rather than espousing the cause of the people of Jammu and ensuring then bare minimum cure amenities the BJP MLAs shamelessly agitated in the Assembly for enhancement of their salaries, perks and CDF etc. Strongly flaying the apathetic and insensitive attitude of the State govt, he reckoned that the people of Jammu region were facing immense hardships due to scorching heat and soaring humidity the PDD averse to their woes. He regretted that in spite of persistent appeals to govt. to comply with scheduled calendar on power supply and the repeated assurances of the govt., no action had been taken by the latter thus adding to the miseries and trauma of common man. He said that the Jammu region was the major sufferer with the govt. and its ministers remaining mute spectators in the face of a critical and crisis like situation He also warned the PDD to face the music of an enraged public in case the regular and un-interrupted power supply was not restored at the earliest. Revealing statistics, the former Education Minister said that the nauseating scope of discrimination had also been extended to Jammu region in power sector as well. He divulged that the power consumption between Jammu and Kashmir regions is in the proportion of 40:60 respectively but as far as the revenue realization was concerned, Jammu shared more than 66% of power tariff while paltry 34% came from Kashmir province. He further pointed out that the power supply to Jammu region had been further curtailed during the ongoing summers due to the highly prejudicial and callous approach of those sitting at the helm of the affairs. Prominent among those who participated in the protest including Rajesh Padgotra, Shankar Chib, Shyam Gorkha, Pawan Dev, Gagan Partap, Nirmal Kishore, Ajay Singh, Kewal Krishan Sharma, Rekesh Gupta, Neeraj Gupta, Kailash Mohan, Ravinder Jamwal, Karnail Singh, Anoop Singh, Arun Dev, Rukhsar Malik, Vinod Sharma, Abhi Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Mohit Mankotia, Ajit Singh, Bhanu Rajput besides others. |