JAMMU:  There is no proposal to hike electricity tariffs in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Monday, junking reports of imposition of a 20 per cent surcharge on the base power tariff for consumption during designated peak hours in the Valley.

“No electricity hike is proposed, and I do not know where this rumour started,” Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy, Abdullah and his deputy Surinder Choudhary launched the first-ever auction of seven limestone mineral blocks in Anantnag, Rajouri and Poonch district here, a significant step in advancing the mining reforms introduced under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act (MMDR Act) in 2015.