Imtiyaz R. Chashti
In Jammu and Kashmir, electricity is not a luxury of modern living; it is a fundamental necessity for survival, dignity, and economic continuity. Unlike most parts of the country where power consumption is often a matter of comfort or convenience, for the people of Kashmir it is directly linked to life itself, particularly during the harsh winter months when temperatures plunge well below zero for prolonged periods. In such conditions, reliable and affordable electricity becomes as essential as food and water, forming the backbone of daily existence.
Historically, the state recognised this reality. The government ensured winter survival through the provision of timber, coal, firewood and kerosene to households, especially in rural and economically weaker areas. These measures were not seen as subsidies but as social protection, acknowledging the climatic vulnerability of the region. Over time, these safeguards have been steadily withdrawn, replaced by an increasingly market-driven approach that treats electricity as a commercial commodity rather than a social necessity.
This shift becomes even more unjust when viewed against the backdrop of Kashmir’s immense hydropower potential. The region is one of the richest in hydroelectric resources in the country, yet paradoxically its residents pay disproportionately high tariffs. Hydropower, by nature, is significantly cheaper to generate compared to thermal power, which depends on costly fossil fuels, long-distance transportation and higher operational expenses. Despite producing clean and cost-efficient energy, Kashmiris continue to bear tariffs that resemble those of power-deficit, fuel-dependent states. This is not only illogical; it is deeply discriminatory.
The situation worsens dramatically during winters when peak hours are far more intense and unforgiving than anywhere else in the country. In Kashmir, peak demand does not arise from luxury consumption but from basic survival needs — heating homes, preventing pipes from freezing, warming children and the elderly, and keeping essential services functional during long, dark and icy nights. Yet instead of acknowledging this exceptional reality, authorities have repeatedly chosen to impose early tariff hikes, often announced just before or at the onset of winter, when dependence on electricity is at its highest. Such premature increases display a disturbing absence of empathy and foresight, pushing households into financial distress even before the harsh season fully sets in.
Without recognising this ground reality, proposing a blanket 20% hike in electricity tariffs appears not only unrealistic but profoundly insensitive. It reflects a policy mindset disconnected from the lived experience of people battling sub-zero temperatures, frozen water lines and prolonged darkness. Combined with early implementation, these hikes effectively punish citizens for merely trying to stay alive through winter.
What further aggravates public anger is the pattern of rapid and relentless tariff escalation since 2019, executed without transparency, public consultation or accountability. Within a short span of six years, electricity charges have risen steeply from approximately ₹450 to nearly ₹2100 for an average domestic consumer, a shocking surge that amounts to economic assault on a population already surviving under extraordinary climatic and political pressure. This is not reform; this is extraction in the name of governance.
The approximate trajectory of this escalation exposes how aggressively financial burden has been piled onto ordinary households:
- 2019 – Around ₹450 (average domestic monthly burden)
- 2020 – Around ₹650
- 2021 – Around ₹900
- 2022 – Around ₹1200
- 2023 – Around ₹1600
- 2024 – 25 – Around ₹2100
These hikes have not only been steep but strategically timed, often introduced early in the season when people prepare for winter survival. This selective insensitivity transforms electricity from a public service into a seasonal financial shock, arriving precisely when families are most vulnerable and least able to absorb additional costs.
Such a hike effectively penalises those who are already vulnerable. It disregards the fact that winter peak hours in Kashmir are a necessity-driven compulsion, not a choice. Treating Kashmir’s winter consumption patterns through the same lens as temperate regions of the country exposes an alarming failure in governance and planning, where policy is framed in offices far removed from snowbound homes and frozen landscapes.
In the rest of India, electricity pricing is often aligned with income levels, climatic requirements and development priorities. In Kashmir, however, a population already grappling with limited economic opportunities, seasonal unemployment and a fragile tourism-based economy is further burdened with inflated power bills. For households struggling to keep their homes warm, electricity bills are no longer manageable utilities but sources of anxiety, indebtedness and silent suffering.
Electricity in Kashmir powers more than lights and appliances; it sustains bakeries, small workshops, artisans, students studying under dim bulbs, hospitals operating life-saving equipment, and families striving to protect their elders and children from freezing temperatures. Frequent power cuts, voltage fluctuations and erratic supply not only disrupt daily life but compromise health, education and productivity. Expecting people to endure sub-zero climates without adequate power while simultaneously imposing early and unjustified tariff hikes reflects an administrative disconnect bordering on callousness.
A people-centric approach to electricity policy in Jammu and Kashmir is not an act of political favour but a constitutional and moral responsibility. Tariffs must be rationalised in line with local realities, winter consumption patterns and the low cost of hydropower generation in the region. Winter-specific tariff slabs, special relief measures and region-sensitive subsidies must be institutionalised to ensure that no household is forced to choose between heating and hunger.
The conversation on electricity in Kashmir must move beyond profit-loss calculations and enter the realm of social justice. When a region produces power for the nation, yet its own people remain deprived, overcharged and pushed to the edge, the system stands morally exposed. Energy policy must recognise that in Kashmir, electricity is not about comfort, it is about survival, equity and the fundamental right to live with dignity.
The author is a Social activist, formeer Chief Editor of KASHMIR MIRAJ & Managing Director KDTV”
