Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industries gives a bandh call on Saturday

The Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industries (JCCI) has given a bandh call in Jammu on Saturday protesting the installation of smart meters by the Power Development Department (PDD) and the toll at Sarore Toll Plaza on the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway.

Addressing a press conference in Jammu, JCCI president Arun Gupta said they have given a bandh call because even after flagging the issues of highly inflated bills by smart meters and an appeal to halt the collection of tolls at Sarore Toll Plaza, the authorities have done nothing.

“We had hoped that the government would address the concerns of the people of Jammu regarding these two pressing issues, but nothing has been done,’’ Gupta said. “We even had a meeting with the divisional commissioner, but unfortunately, it proved unproductive.”

He said despite their continued efforts, the PDD has failed to offer any clarifications about inflated bills after the installation of smart meters.

“We were told by the grievance cell that the PDD will address such issues of inflated power bills, but the consumers go to the PDD office to register their complaints, and they get no response from the PDD officials.”

“Women taking to the streets to protest against smart meters is happening for the first time after many years is a clear indication of the distress they are experiencing,’’ he said.

Gupta said the recent statements by the PDD claiming there are no issues with the smart meters are contradictory to the experiences of the community. “We have documented cases where monthly bills have surged from Rs 500-600 to a staggering Rs 23,000 after the installation of smart meters. This raises questions about the accuracy of these meters and suggests that the necessary infrastructure is not in place.”

He said the PDD should focus on rectifying these issues instead of making excuses, and claimed that he tried his best to get the authorities to resolve these issues but in vain.

Gupta said the JCCI remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting people. “Today, during a meeting of bazaar associations, the issue of inflated power bills and the Sarore toll plaza was raised by everyone. We had previously communicated our concerns to Jitender Singh, emphasising that no toll should be collected at Sarore Toll Plaza until the road is constructed.”

He said some civil society groups like the Yuwa Rajput Sabha also staged a protest near the Sarore toll plaza two days ago and added that unfortunately, there was a harsh police response, including detentions. “We strongly condemn this police action, as in a democracy, people have the right to protest.’’

Gupta said the JCCI has reached- out to various organisations in Jammu to discuss these urgent issues. He said some individuals proposed a three-day strike, but the JCCI decided to hold a symbolic one on Saturday due to an upcoming festival.

“After the festival, we plan to launch a sustained campaign against these issues,” he said. “I appeal to the people of Jammu and the transporters to participate in this protest and refrain from using the roads.”

He said the Jammu Bar Association was likely to support the bandh call. He said they also spoke to the tankers association, and they are not only supporting the strike but are also insisting on it.

On August 21, a protest led by dozens of Yuva Rajput Sabha activists, urging the removal of the toll plaza, turned violent after some protesters attempted to damage the structure, prompting the police to intervene with a lathi-charge to disperse the crowd.

The demonstrators argued that the toll plaza had been established in violation of regulations. Numerous other organisations, including trade bodies, have joined the chorus in demanding the removal of the toll plaza, citing the burden of unnecessary toll charges on people who need to travel for essential purposes.

The police detained several activists associated with the outfit after they initiated a sit-in protest outside the toll plaza during the night.

The authorities responded by imposing restrictions on the movement of individuals in the vicinity of the Sarore toll plaza. Samba District Magistrate Abhishek Sharma invoked Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which prohibits gatherings of four or more people at a specific location, in and around the toll plaza area.