Under the pretext of illegal use of electricity, the Turkish state increased the monthly contribution to the electricity in Hakkari. In this way, the AKP tries to shift the costs of the economic crisis to the population.
The economic crisis triggered by the President of the Republic of Turkey and his war policy is now also evident in the electricity policy in the Northern Kurdistan province of Hakkari (Colemêrg). The state removed the electricity meters from the houses of the population and installed them at the upper end of the power pylons. Under the pretext of "electricity theft", the electricity bills were increased. These measures concern only the Kurdish towns.
The actions of the AKP government must be understood as part of an economic embargo against the Kurdish population, which includes, inter alia, closing the vital border crossings for the towns of resistance and effectively bringing agriculture to a standstill due to the military restricted areas.
The electricity price has quintupled
Due to the economic crisis and the embargo Hakkari province has an unemployment rate of over 50 percent. Last year, the State began to remove the electricity meters from the homes of the population and have them installed at the top of the power poles.
The monthly electricity price would fluctuate between 40 and 50 lira, but after the removal of the electricity meter it increased by four to five times. The managers of the regional electricity provider VEDAŞ began to write invoices without checking the electricity meters. The population reacted angrily to the increase in electricity prices and put the price increase in the context of the economic crisis in Turkey.
Electricity meters are torn off the masts
The population reports that even empty houses have received astronomical bills and calls this practice "theft": "Previously, the electricity meters were in the houses. Every week, the people in charge came and made a billing. The highest invoice amount was 50 Lira. But recently, under the pretext of power theft, the meters are placed at the top of the power poles. After the meters have been attached to the electricity pylons, they are automatically read from the center. Our house is located in the village, we never go there in the winter. Nevertheless, they gave us a high electricity bill. In Hakkari all forms of repression and economic embargo are being executed through the AKP. Now the AKP has also turned its attention to the money in our pockets. In this way, they try to rob us. They try to make us pay the bill for the economic crisis."
