Ajumako, April 29, GNA - Some 1,138 customers of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) at Ajumako-Eyan-Essiam District, who had defaulted in the payment of their bills for more than a year have been arraigned before the Ajumako Magistrate court.

According to the prosecution, 432 of the defaulters have paid their outstanding bills since the company started prosecuting them as part of a national debt recovery exercise in December 2005.

Mr Victor Amanatey, Schedule Officer for Billing and Revenue in the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview on Thursday after court proceedings that as at December 2005, customers owed the ECG to the tune of 245 million cedis.

He said as of March 31, 2006, the debt had reduced to 185 million cedis due to the court action embarked upon by the company against defaulters in the district.

Mr Amanatey said there were 135 cases pending before the court as part of efforts to retrieve outstanding debts.

He said prior to instituting court action against customers, the company gave debtors three months to settle their bills. He said the company has embarked on a programme to educate customers on the need to pay their bills promptly and also to be abreast with operations of the ECG.

Mr Charles Newton, Ajumako -Enyan-Essiam District Manager of ECG told GNA that 637 service meters had been removed from the premises of customers who had defaulted in paying their bills for more than a year in addition to 292 others who had been disconnected for owing the Company.

He urged customers to pay their bills promptly to enable the company render quality services to them.