The Electricity Company of Ghana, ECG says it has not started installation of prepaid meters in Yilo and Lower Manya Krobo in the Eastern region.
According to a statement released by the company “ECG has not started installing prepaid meters in Krobo District. None at all. Neither do we intend to use the prepaid meters as a form of “punishment” for our customers”.
The statement further explained that “In 2014, we started using new billing software which gave us some challenges. We suspended the use of this software in the interim.
This problem happened in all ECG operational areas, and not just the Krobo areas. Using the ten regions, it happened in Asante, Western, Eastern, Volta, Central, and Greater Accra Regions.
However, we encountered issues of non-payment of bills which has been ongoing since then in our Krobo District.
The billing anomaly was rectified. The bills were investigated and corrected.
PURC also investigated on their own and vouched that ECG had indeed cleared and worked on the wrong bills”.
“The bills from 2018 till now have all been correct. There have not been any problems with them. However, as customers chose not to pay these legitimate bills, it has led to an accumulation of debt.
ECG has therefore proposed that the bills of 2014 to 2017, which some customers still dispute should be set aside or ring-fenced for further investigations. The bills from 2018 to date are correct and must be paid. However, as they have accumulated, ECG would want to work with customers on one on one basis to work out favorable working payment plans, such that even if it will take a customer 5 years to finish paying this 2018 to now debt, ECG is willing to allow this flexibility”.
The statement by the power distributor continued that “ECG usually gives a much shorter time for such debts. About 3 to 6 months. But for this instance, the Company is conceding to allow more flexibility.
The prepaid meter installation is a working operational policy for ECG. All post-paid meters are to be changed to prepaid meters eventually.
However, before the installation of any prepaid meter in any district, we do a pre-installation survey as well as set up vendor points before we deploy. None of these have been done yet in Krobo District. It is part of the plans to deploy prepaid in Krobo, just like in most operational areas of the Company. However, this is yet to start in Krobo.
The claim that we have started prepaid meter installation is therefore false”.
According to ECG, demand by residents of the Krobo area for all outstanding debts to be canceled is untenable.
“The youth groups have asked for a total cancellation of the debt. ECG cannot cancel debts for power that has been legitimately consumed and rightly billed.
We have had several engagements and will keep engaging. However, we encourage our customers to note that the proposed flexible terms of payment are on one on one basis so we would want to deal with each customer for their flexibility.
Should prepaid meters be installed, the same payment flexibility will be employed so customers will not be in a situation where they must pay the entire accumulated debt before using power” the statement issued by Tema Branch of ECG which has Operational jurisdiction I Krobo area concluded in response to Monday, November 22, 2021 demonstration by the Krobos.
Krobo’s want ECG vacate Area
Meanwhile, Krobos in Yilo and Lower Manya Krobo Municipalities in the Eastern region are demanding direct power supply from Volta River Authority (VRA) instead of the Electricity Company of Ghana.
According to them, the Construction of Akosombo and Akuse Dams displaced their ancestors and deprived them of their livelihood but were not compensated therefore it is insensitive for VRA not to serve them with power as being done in other Communities in Asuogyaman District.
As a result, the United Krobo Foundation, a group championing this agenda over the years, organized a massive demonstration on Monday, November 22, 2021, against plans by the Electricity Company of Ghana, ECG, to introduce prepaid meters in Somanya, Odumase, and its environs.
The group said residents in the Krobo area can no longer be under the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) for power supply.
Convener of the group, Nathan Boryou told the media that, ECG must first scrap all outstanding arrears of customers created due to the issue of overbilling in the Krobo area.
“The ECG as an Institution was not able to resolve the problem of their customers within Krobo area . The grievances of customers are so agitating that more problems may occur in days ahead”.
The group is therefore demanding that “prepaid metering within the Krobo states must stop immediately”
The group had earlier demanded that the entire Krobo enclave access free direct power supply from Volta River Authority (VRA) as part of the social responsibility of the Authority for dispossessing Krobos from their land for the construction of the Kpong Dam.
“Krobos were not paid compensation when Akosombo and Kpong dams were constructed, meanwhile the VRA Resettlement fund is also not being utilized to the benefit of the affected Communities hence must be investigated” the group demanded.
The impasse between Krobos and ECG led to deadly clashes between residents and police resulting in the shooting of protestors which two died while at least five sustained gunshot wounds in May 2019. A female Junior High School student who was among the Victims had her leg amputated while a footballer has been paralyzed as a result of the injury.
United Krobo Foundation has warmed that, failure by the state to investigate and sanction culprits of the shooting incident will remain unpardonable agony among Krobos.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
