SRINAGAR: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said the Jammu and Kashmir Government was working to extend the electricity bill amnesty scheme, while stressing that any extension should not disadvantage consumers who have consistently paid their dues.
Speaking in the Legislative Assembly, Omar said the government was making efforts to continue the amnesty for consumers who genuinely qualify for the relief.
He said withholding the benefit from those entitled to it would be unjust, but extending the scheme also raised concerns for consumers who had regularly cleared their electricity bills.
“We are trying to extend the amnesty,” Omar said, adding that if consumers were encouraged to delay payments in anticipation of future amnesties, those who continued to pay their bills could question why they should do so.
The Chief Minister said the government was considering the issue with the objective of extending relief to consumers who genuinely needed it without penalising those who had paid their bills on time.
He said the matter was being examined to find a balance between providing relief to eligible consumers and maintaining fairness towards regular bill payers.
