Residents stage protest demonstration in Baramulla

Srinagar, March 05, 2023 (PPI-OT): In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, scores of people in the Pattan area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district staged a protest against the installation of smart meters in the area. The protesters, comprising men, women, and children, demanded an immediate rollback of the order from the authorities.

The agitated local people blocked the Srinagar-Baramulla highway near receiving Station Pattan, which disrupted traffic for hours. Chanting slogans against the installation of smart meters, the protesting women said it would increase expenses for the poor and daily wage earners.

“Most of the families belong to economically weaker sections and can’t afford hiked tariffs,” Fatima Bano, a protester, told media persons. “Our men are working in the private sector and only receive hand-to-mouth earnings. We cannot afford tariffs as per smart meters which will overburden our families and will directly affect the education and livelihood of our children,” she added. The protesters sought “justice” for the poor and demanded an immediate halt to the smart meter installation drive in Pattan.

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