Power Outages Plague Kwabenya Amid ECG Meter Disconnections: Residents Left in the Dark
In a distressing turn of events, approximately 4,000 residents in Kwabenya, nestled within the Greater Accra Region, find themselves grappling with prolonged power outages. The culprit? The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), who, in a bid to curb alleged theft from its vault, disconnected meters belonging to affected customers.
The abrupt disconnections have left residents bewildered and frustrated, with accusations leveled at third-party workers for their purported involvement in meter pilfering. Nii Sapei, a resident embroiled in the chaos, shares his ordeal, recounting how he acquired his meter through an acquaintance within ECG’s ranks. Despite enjoying trouble-free electricity for five years, he now faces daunting hurdles, including a steep GH¢1,900 reconnection fee and demands for an Energy Commission permit, all stemming from ECG’s claims of meter theft.
The situation unraveled against the backdrop of Operation No Free Consumption, an initiative spearheaded by ECG on February 1, 2024. Under this directive, the company sternly warns that any attempts to impede or obstruct its teams from assessing assigned meters will result in immediate service disconnection.
ECG’s rationale behind the operation is twofold: to instill confidence in the accuracy of bills delivered to customers and to synchronize consumption readings with those recorded by ECG agents. This meticulous approach aims to rectify billing discrepancies and recover outstanding arrears owed by customers.
As the power struggle persists in Kwabenya, residents grapple with uncertainty and inconvenience, highlighting the delicate balance between consumer rights and utility company regulations. In the quest for transparency and accountability, both ECG and affected residents find themselves at loggerheads, each striving to protect their interests amidst a backdrop of power outages and meter disputes.
