JAMMU: Under the leadership of President Sunil Dimple, Mission Statehood workers, including a large contingent of women, children, and the elderly, staged a significant protest against the Public Health Engineering (PHE) and Power Development Department (PDD) in Jammu. The demonstrators voiced their grievances over the acute scarcity of drinking water and prolonged power cuts, demanding free electricity and water for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing the protesters, Sunil Dimple accused the PDD and PHE of issuing exorbitant tariff bills without providing adequate electricity and drinking water to the residents of Jammu city. Dimple led a fervent protest, calling for the provision of free electricity and water to the people of the region.
Dimple highlighted that many transformers and jumpers in several wards, including the infrastructure at Gladni, are in a defunct state and not functioning properly. He also pointed out that the frequent power fluctuations have resulted in damage to numerous electrical appliances, such as fans, air conditioners, and other domestic gadgets.
In his address, Dimple demanded the return of the Salal, Uri, and Ratle power projects to the region and urged for the waiving of electricity bills for poor families. He called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to halt the supply of Jammu and Kashmir's power projects' electricity to other states until the local demands are met.
Dimple criticized the increase in electricity curtailments following the privatization of the Jammu and Kashmir PDD and the installation of smart meters. He urged the immediate commencement of construction on the Chenab Akhnoor water supply project to address the water crisis in Jammu city.
He further alleged that all wards in the temple city of Jammu are experiencing a severe shortage of drinking water. Dimple demanded the government provide 500 units of free electricity per month to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and called on LG Manoj Sinha to waive off old electricity bills and ensure free drinking water for the region.
Other leaders participating in the protest included Rekha Devi, Kaushalya, Rani Devi, Shakuntla, Poonam, S. Mangu Singh, Partap Singh, Vikram Singh, Sudershan Sharma, Rinku Sharma, and many others.
