The Majority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, has asked Parliament to institute a probe into the recent billing irregularities by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
He is of the view the ECG appears to be sabotaging efforts made by President John Mahama to alleviate the pressure brought on by the increased utility tariffs.
[contextly_sidebar id=”CmYcdHRRRNDRECphfbO2sfOWyCwBTziD”]Speaking on the floor of Parliament today [Tuesday], the Majority Chief Whip said the ECG must be made to provide answers for astronomical increases in bills since it is causing unwarranted hardship on the ordinary Ghanaian.
According to him, reports suggested that the cost of consumption had more than doubled in some cases and this, in his view, has imposed untold hardship on “virtually all Ghanaians”.
“The overall effect of this is that, the efforts of his Excellency John Dramani Mahama to permanently solve the long-standing power crisis is being hampered,” Mr. Mubarak intimated.
Mr. Mubarak, NDC Member of Parliament for Asawase, said the ECG’s own internal failures are largely to blame for the challenges.
“My information reveals the following are some of the causes of the problem; errors in the billing of the newly installed prepaid meters, administrative lapses due to poor supervision of technical officers by their superiors and deliberate efforts by some unscrupulous ECG officials to take advantage of the new billing arrangement for personal gains.”
ECG billing irregular
The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), has already instructed the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), to suspend the implementation of their new billing software until further notice.
It said the directive was influenced by the complaints from customers who alleged that they were being over-billed by the ECG.
The PURC noted that their investigations revealed that ECG is billing customers over an irregular period of 18 to 43 days, which is a contravention of the 20-day billing cycle for customers.
The regulatory commission also indicated that some customers are also being billed above the approved service charge and the approved tariffs in December 2015.
Thus, the PURC has among other things, ordered the ECG to appoint an independent billing software expert to audit the new billing system and present a report on it.
MPs angry at ECG
The MP’s concerns received the support of several members who backed his call for a probe into the matter. Some of them lamented about the high tariffs they have been paying for electricity and the incessant complaints by their constituents.
The Speaker of Parliament Edward Doe Adjaho said the Mines and Energy Committee has started investigating the matter.
The Chairman of the Mines and Energy Committee, Alhaji Amadu Sorogho told the House the committee will be meeting the Power Minister and officials of the ECG hopefully on Thursday May 26.
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By: Felicia Osei/citifmonline.com/Ghana