Opposition protests electricity fee hike in Kashmir, Omar Abdullah calls it compulsion

Srinagar: Opposition political parties in Kashmir held separate protests in Srinagar on Monday against the ruling National Conference government for the 6.83 percent hike in the electricity bills approved by the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission and effective from September 1.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Apni Party held separate protests here against electricity tariff hike. PDP leaders and workers assembled at the party office near the General Post Office and raised slogans against the hike in electricity tariffs ordered by the JERC last week. The protesters, carrying placards, tried to march towards Residency Road but were intercepted by police personnel deployed in the area.

Apni Party leaders and workers assembled at the Press Enclave near Pratap Park. They demanded a roll back of the hike and urged the NC government to fulfil its promise of providing 200 free electricity units to each household every month. The Apni Party workers also tried to march on the main road but were stopped by police.


The revised tariff provides for an average increase of 6.83 per cent and will remain in force from September 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, unless modified or extended by the commission. The JERC approved a revised retail electricity tariff increase of around 6.83 per cent for the Jammu Power Development Corporation Limited (JPDCL) and Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) for 2026-27.

Earlier the PDP legislator Waheed Para had said that the increase in tariff once again exposes the hollow promises of providing 200 units of free electricity by the ruling NC government. “At a time when unemployment is at a peak, inflation is biting hard and ordinary families are struggling to make ends meet, the government has imposed a 6.83% power tariff hike. They came to power with an aspirational agenda, 200 units of free electricity, free gas and free ration. From free tariff promises of relief to higher bills, what happened to the promise,” said Para.

“NC sold the dream of 200 free units. People trusted them and yes, perhaps they were at fault for taking political promises at face value. Now the tariff is set to rise by 6.83%. The irony writes itself: the promise was free electricity, the reality is a bigger bill. That’s not a plot twist, that’s politics catching up with the consumer,” said Imran Ansari of People’s Conference.

For metered domestic consumers, the energy charge has been fixed at ₹2.45 per unit for consumption up to 200 units, ₹4.20 per unit for 201–400 units and ₹4.60 per unit beyond 400 units. A fixed charge of ₹10 per kW per month will also apply. The Commission has retained concessional rates for BPL households and small agricultural consumers. Commercial consumers will also see revised rates, with single-phase non-domestic users paying ₹3.75 per unit up to 200 units and ₹5.70 per unit thereafter, along with a fixed charge of ₹75 per kW per month. The Commission said recovering the entire revenue gap through tariffs alone would have required an increase of around 40 per cent, indicating that government support helped limit the hike. JERC has also approved the Business Plan and Multi-Year Tariff framework for JPDCL and KPDCL for the period 2026-27 to 2028-29.

Meanwhile, J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah defended the recent hike in electricity tariffs saying the increase was a “compulsion” and the government had never promised that power tariffs would not be increased. “When did we say that the electricity rates will not increase? We said that we will give 200 units of electricity to the poorest and neediest. We will give them 200 units of electricity for free,” Omar told reporters in Srinagar. He said the government intended to use solar power to fulfil its commitment to free electricity and asserted that the tariff revision would not affect the scheme. “There is no connection between the price of electricity and this scheme. We will keep providing free electricity to those who need it,” he said.

Abdullah also reminded the opposition that previous governments had also raised electricity rates substantially. “During their rule, the rate of electricity increased by more than 14 percent. At that time, they did not think that this was injustice,” he said, adding that electricity tariffs had also been increased by 15 percent four years ago. He alleged that the BJP people remained silent at that time.