Suhail Rather
Bandipora, Jan 16 (KNS): Electricity consumers from the Saderkoot Bala area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Friday voiced serious concern over alleged irregularities in power bill deposits at the local J&K Bank branch, claiming that their payments for the past three months were not reflected in official records despite being paid on time.
The aggrieved residents told KNS that although they deposited their electricity bills regularly at the J&K Bank branch, the same dues continued to appear in subsequent bills issued by the Power Development Department (PDD), causing confusion, financial distress, and fear of power disconnection.
Several consumers said they have been repeatedly labelled as defaulters despite clearing their dues. “We have been paying our bills on time, yet every month the arrears reappear. We are being threatened with disconnection for no fault of ours,” said a local shopkeeper.
The repeated discrepancies, locals said, have eroded public trust in the bill collection mechanism. Some residents alleged that the collected amount was not properly remitted to the PDD, with a few even demanding an audit of transaction records and receipts to trace the payments and fix accountability.
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Residents further alleged possible misuse of funds by a bank staff member and demanded a transparent and time-bound inquiry to determine the lapse.
When contacted, the Branch Manager of J&K Bank Saderkoot Bala declined to comment, stating he is not authorised to speak to the media.
However, J&K Bank Public Relations Officer Naseer Javaid, while responding to KNS, termed the issue serious and assured that the matter would be resolved shortly. He added that strict action would be taken against anyone found responsible.
The incident has raised wider concerns about the reliability of electricity bill collection and remittance procedures at the local level. The affected residents have urged the authorities to immediately update paid amounts in the electricity database, conduct a thorough probe, and ensure that consumers are not penalised or harassed due to administrative lapses. (KNS)