Wa, Feb. 29, GNA - Television transmission in Upper West Region has ceased since the past five days because there is no fuel to run the generators at the Han transmission station.

Mr Mahama Sumani, Regional Director of the GBC told the GNA on Tuesday that he has for some time been purchasing fuel on credit from various dealers at Wa to keep the station going.

"The station cannot, therefore, operate anytime we fail to obtain fuel on credit terms as a result of liquidity problems", he said. "Today we are in the process of going to procure some diesel on credit, which can only serve for two transmission days after, which the station will be shut if we do not receive any money from Accra".

Mr Sumani said the extension of electricity from the national grid to the station would solve the problem permanently. Mr Gershwin Hoegah, Area Manager of the Volta River Authority (VRA) assured the public that contractors are busily stringing power lines to the station under the self-help electrification scheme and would complete the job by the middle of the year.

He said the project could have been completed ahead of schedule but for the short landing of some of the materials adding that the Ministry of Mines and Energy was making strenuous efforts to procure remaining materials.

Communities should be very conscious of the destructive effects of bush fires, saying that 21 high tension poles in the Han area have been already been burnt.

He urged communities that are benefiting from the self-help electrification programme to serve as watch dogs and make fire belts around the poles to protect them from bush fires.