Sopore: The residents of various localities of Sopore town continue to hit the roads against the installation of smart meters.
Reports said that fresh protests against smart meter installation were held in Hathishah and Muslimpeer areas of the town on Thursday. The people from these areas came on the roads along with women and children and raised slogans against the administration. They termed the installation of smart meters as unacceptable.
“We are poor and middle-class families here; we cannot afford to pay hefty bills. It is totally unacceptable,” protesters said.
The people were also angry in other parts of town where the administration has launched a drive for smart meter installation. “We are not against smart meters but the government needs to check the ground reality. We don’t have the capacity to pay huge power fees. We are poor people living our lives peacefully,” said Manzoor Ahmad Dar, a local resident of Muslimpeer Sopore.
He slammed the administration officials and bureaucrats living in air-conditioned government accommodations. “We can’t use fans for our children in this scorching heat.”
Another resident, Fatima Begum of Hathishah said that a cooking gas cylinder costs 1,250 rupees. “We can’t afford to buy gas cylinders, from where we will bring money for huge power bills. They are killing poor people like us,” she said, adding her husband is a labourer. Seeking intervention from the LG Manoj Sinha and the district administration, the protesters demanded that the installation of smart meters be halted.