The Power Distribution Services (PDS) Friday evening restored power to communities in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality plunged into darkness since Wednesday 22, 2019 following attacks on Staff of the Company.
Some communities affected were Kpongunor, Yohe, Sokwonya, Manam and Seinsi.
Divisional Chief of Piengua Traditional Area, Nene Tetteh Zogli III had earlier held a press conference Friday at his palace saying his people were running out of patience as PDS continue to deny them power as collective punishment.
Already, businesses particularly those in Cold Store businesses were feeling the brunt of the power outage in the affected areas heightening tension again.
PDS’ decision to restore Power to affected areas followed agreement reached in a meeting facilitated by the Member of Parliament for Lower Manya Krobo, Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi and mediated by the Public Utility Regulations Commission (PURC), PDS Tema Region General Manager and staff and six (6) Assembly Members from the troubled communities.
Among the roadmap drawn, “PDS would consult Senior Authorities and Move in to restore all transformers if the staff and peace is guaranteed within any possible time”.
Addressing the Media at Odumase Friday evening after the meeting, the Member of Parliament for Lower Manya, Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi stated that during the meeting, PDS explained it has cleansed a debt of customers in the krobo area from Ghc195,725,500.29 to Ghc84,625,624 using CMS Softwear. This implies that Ghc111million of debt owed by the customers has been waived.
PDS again relaxed the 70% up front payment for customers giving a six months grace period for payment to be made. Customers with genuine concerns could be granted extension of the period for payment on case by case merit.
It was agreed that, customers in the Krobo area give PDS staff unrestricted access to meters in their homes to pick current readings to generate actual bills for them.
Furthermore, it was agreed that residents who have issues with billing must go to PDS customer care offices for redress.
Also, PURC charged the Member of Parliament, Assembly Members and opinion leaders in the Krobo area to create the needed peaceful and secured environment for PDS staff to operate.
Background.
Angry youth of Kpongunor organized a spontaneous protest to petition the Municipal Chief Executive for the Area, Kwaku Simon Tetteh, on their concerns of over billing by PDS and its ongoing mass disconnection exercise.
The youth had earlier in the morning of the fateful day Wednesday May 22, 2019 mounted road blocks and pelted the PDS Staff with stones and sticks at Yohe, a community near Odumase Krobo when PDS staff went to the community to discontinue its mass disconnection exercise.
The irate youth smashed a PDS Nissan Pick Up with Registration Number GV 2318-1. It took the intervention of armed Police personnel to rescue the PDS staff.
The PDS staff decided to switch off the transformers cutting off power supply to many communities.
Shortly after the attack, the angry youth mobilized to embark on a protest to petition the MCE but the armed Police rushed to protect the Municipal Assembly Office by preventing the youth from entering the premises.
This led to clashes between the youth and the Police. Many warnings shots were fired to disperse the youth who were also attacking the Police with stones and other implements. The arrival of the reinforcement team from the Regional Police Headquarters saw brute force and indiscriminate dischargebof fire arms leading to the death of a 24 year old young man while seven persons including a final Year JHS student shot in the leg while returning from market.
Thirty-five(35) persons were arrested during the riot.
Three people were injured after a similar chaos Monday at Manya Kpongunor over mass disconnection exercise by Power Distribution Services (PDS).
Reports indicated that the Police reinforcement team fired tear gas after they were attacked by the youth.
PDS was embarking on a mass disconnection exercise with armed Police personnel in Somanya, Odumase Krobo and its environs.
The exercise dubbed “Revenue Mobilization” according to Somanya District Manager of PDS Ing. Edward Ochire, has become necessary due to the failure by many residents to pay their electricity bills since 2017. A situation he said has led to revenue shortfalls of the company.
Hundreds of houses have been disconnected in the ongoing exercise which started May 13, 2019 from Kpong and Nuaso communities.
One person was put behind bars for attempting to resist disconnection of his house. Since the exercise began, many of the affected residents have been trooping to the offices of PDS to pay their accumulated bills ranging between Ghc3, 000 and Ghc 20,000
There has been long standing feud between residents and workers of ECG now PDS .In 2017, angry residents in Somanya attacked PDS office for over billing.
Police vehicles were torched and properties destroyed in the violent attacks. Many residents have since refused to pay electricity bills and have threatened to attack PDS staff who attempt disconnecting their homes.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Kojo Ansah
