Enraged over-inflated bills of electricity, water and property tax, Shimla Nagrik Sabha (SNS) on Monday staged a protest and accused the state government of burdening people in these times of crisis amid COVID-19 pandemic.

SNS president Vijender Mehra said the general public was expecting respite and relief in COVID pandemic as almost all sectors were badly affected with many losing their jobs. But instead, Shimla Municipal Corporation and State Electricity Board issued inflated power, water, garbage and property tax bills without giving enough time to arrange the money during the lockdown.

“The electricity bills of previous months were issued by the State Electricity Board and had inflated the charges manifold which even exceeds the normal charges.

If the power bills had been issued on the monthly basis, it would be 4-5 times less from the issued bills,” he alleged.

Mehra said the state government instead of helping them from the Prime Minister Relief Fund and PM CARES fund, people were being forced to pay heavy charges by the state and its agencies.

He claimed that during the lockdown, around 70 percent of people in the state had lost their employment or source of livelihood.

All hotels and restaurants are closed in Shimla town forcing more than 5,000 persons to directly lose their livelihood.

Besides, tourism activities are standstill and thousands of persons associated with it have lost their self-employment avenues, he added.

“Around 40 percent trade and business are governed by the tourism and hospitality industry which has been completely decimated.

Thousands of vendors and small and marginal traders and businessmen are ruined and persons working with private industry, enterprises and construction are idles without any jobs,” he said.

He added when half of the population was striving hard to make both ends meet, they are being burdened by state authorities.

“All government agencies including SMC are turning away from their social welfare responsibility,” he said while urging the SMC and the state government to stop the collection or waive off the charges immediately.