hikes in utility tariffs<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\nThe PURC last Monday announced a 59.2 percent increment in the price of electricity and 67.2 percent for water.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that under normal circumstances, government should step in because everything belongs to it.\u00a0 I was asking why we even have PURC because what are they regulating? Government has an obligation towards its citizenry so no good government will try to burden its people. So if we were having several independent private companies then that is where we would need a regulatory body so that they don\u2019t overburden us because sometimes when you have independent companies, they try to focus too much on the profit rather than looking at the consumer,\u201d Dr. Nuamah explained.<\/p>\n
Currently the nation has three different institutions in the power distribution chain.<\/p>\n
Whereas the Volta River Authority together with some independent companies produce the power for the nation, the Ghana Grid Company transmits it and ECG sells it to consumers.<\/p>\n
According to Dr. Nuamah such companies in the chain are government owned hence there is no need for a regulator.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have government supplying everything, giving it to another government body to transmit and also another government body distributes to our homes and industries. \u00a0I think that the strategy is to divert blame when there is an increment because instead of saying that it is government who is not performing or listening to the plight of people, people divert attention to the PURC. But I always say why do you blame the PURC, all the factors they\u2019ve listed for the increment is beyond their control,\u201d the energy analyst\u00a0noted.<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
By: Godwin A. Allotey\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana<\/p>\n