Electrical energy thievery has become an established convention in the Northern Region for which reason authorities of the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDco) have served notice to install prepaid meters for all its customers.<\/p>\n
Records showed that as of April to June 2014 ending, NEDco financially lost eight GHC800, 000 as a result of illegal connections and non-payment of electricity bills in the Tamale Metro area alone.<\/p>\n
NEDco\u2019s Director of Services, David Adomako-Mensah at a media briefing in Tamale disclosed that 426 illegal power thieves were arrested for various offences.<\/p>\n
He gave the breakdown as 38 defaulted consumers in Changli\/Dabokpa, 40 in Kapkagyili\/Zujung, 12 in Kalpohini\/SSNIT Flats among others.<\/p>\n
According to him, all of them were served letters to defray the estimated cost of power stolen which amounted to GHC738, 337.48.<\/p>\n
He said only 161 out of the 426 power thieves paid the required charges whilst 265 of the affected customers have ignored NEDco\u2019s order.<\/p>\n
Mr. Adomako-Mensah revealed that 121 of the affected customers are standing trial in a Tamale Magistrate Court.<\/p>\n
He unequivocally implied that the days of stealing power and unnecessary interruption of NEDco\u2019s network with impunity were over.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would like to serve a very clear and loud notice to the general public especially our consumers that the days of stealing our power and or interfering with our network with impunity are over for good: we are poised to serve our consumers diligently and dutifully and the only way they can support us is do that is only to desist from interfering with our network.\u201d<\/p>\n
NEDco\u2019s Acting Director of Engineering, Engineer Moses Tawiah revealed that the company had 270,000 registered customers covering the entire Northern Region.<\/p>\n
He said only 70,000 out of the total number have been hooked onto the prepaid metering system.<\/p>\n
He regretted the remaining 200,000 customers using the analogue metering system\u2019s delay or non-payment of their bills.<\/p>\n
He charged NEDco customers to promptly pay their bills for better services.<\/p>\n
Engineer Moses Tawiah described as unrealistic electricity tariffs determined by the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC).<\/p>\n
He said NEDco was operating in Northern Ghana at a lost because of the nonexistence of industries<\/p>\n
He thus advocated the injection of giant industries to boost the northern economy.<\/p>\n
Mr. Moses Tawiah unveiled the construction of additional sub stations in the Northern Region to increase accessibility and reliability of power supply.<\/p>\n
Head of Public and Community Relations of NEDco, Alhaji Mohammed Siam urged the mass media to enhance the organization\u2019s rapport with customers through accurate reportage.<\/p>\n
He said most customers have been ignorant of NEDco\u2019s modus operandi as a result of which they have always jumped to hasty and unsubstantiated conclusions anytime there was power instability.<\/p>\n
Alhaji Siam reaffirmed NEDco\u2019s open door policy and assured the mass media of periodic news conferences for further clarifications on nagging matters.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, some television and radio repairers, cold store operators and sachet water producers in Tamale complained about erratic power supply and challenged NEDco to be more efficient.<\/p>\n
Even though some lauded attempts to install the prepaid meters, others downplayed the idea.<\/p>\n
They claimed the decision formed part of NEDco\u2019s calculated attempt to cheat customers.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Electrical energy thievery has become an established convention in the Northern Region for which reason authorities of the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDco) have served notice to install prepaid meters for all its customers. Records showed that as of April to June 2014 ending, NEDco financially lost eight GHC800, 000 as a result of illegal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":24375,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[54],"yoast_head":"\n