Adankwame (Ashanti Region) 16 June '99

The Adankwame Area Council has protested against what it described as " the widespread abnormal high electricity tariffs being issued by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG)", saying this is causing apprehension among the people.

At its meeting held at Adankwame in the Atwima District, the members said electricity bills sent to most customers "are totally unrelated to their actual power consumption".

Mr Emmanuel Kwabena Poku, Chairman of the Council, said monthly bills for households at Asuofua, a resettlement community, has for some time, now been ranging between 200,000 cedis and 800,000 cedis.

He said since consumers do not use electrical gadgets and appliances, beside bulbs, "we are inclined to believe that either the meters installed by the ECG are faulty and not correctly read or there is something basically wrong with the Company's billing system".

Mr Poku cited an instance where an old farmer who does not even own a radio set and uses only three bulbs in his house was billed for 500,000 cedis.

He was unhappy that several representations made to the Company to rectify the situation have failed to produce any results.