General News of Saturday, 12 October 2013

Source: peacefmonline

Tariff increment more than the figure PURC announced?

The Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC), a couple of weeks ago, announced a 78.9% increment in electricity and 50% increment in water.

But Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt suspects the 78.9% tariff increment on electricity in practical terms is more than the percentage being bandied about.

This might come as a surprise to many Ghanaians because many have and still say the 78.9% and 50% increment are outrageous.

Sharing his own experience on Friday’s edition of ‘Kokrokoo’, Kwesi Pratt said “It is not true that it has been increased to 78.9%. I went to buy GHC 200 (worth of ECG units); before the increment if I buy GHC200, I get a little over 1,400 units, but when I bought it three days ago, I had a little over 400 units. This cannot be 78%...it is very suspicious based on my own experience and that of many people…What they charged me is above 100”.

According to him, if his suspicions are true, the utility providers are not being honest to the general public.

“If that is the case, they are cheating us, and it is against the law; we need to talk about it and they need to do some explanations,” he insisted