Fact Check: Is electricity free for Kashmiris

New Delhi, Jun 27: A social media post has gone viral with the claim that Kashmiris enjoyed free electricity since Independence, but now they have to pay for it. The claim comes amidst recent protests against the installation of smart electricity metres in households.

People in Kashmir will have to pay electricity bills. Yes Kashmiris used to get free electricity since independence till date, the post reads. OneIndia has learnt that the claim is misleading.

We found a news report of August 21 2021 about a protest held in Kashmir's Baramulla district against high electricity bills. This made it clear that the claim was fake.

Even the website of the Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited which supplies power to the Valley has tariff plans for domestic consumers of Kashmir. This confirms that electricity for Kashmiris was never free of cost.

On May 9 The Tribune had reported that the power distributors of both Jammu and Kashmir regions have proposed a hike in the electricity tariffs to cover their losses. The loss was amounting to nearly 4,000 crore.

J&K's Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had said that electricity will not be given to people who do not pay for it. Pay Money To Get Power, No More Free Electricity Now: LG Sinha", reports had said.

We also found a video where Sinha spoke about the issue of free power. The video is pasted below.

Here it can be concluded that the viral post claiming that Kashmiris did not have to pay for electricity since independence and have now been asked to pay for it is absolutely false.