GHc86m lost over non-payment of bills in Lower Manya Krobo – PDS

Power Distribution Services (PDS) says it has lost about GHc86 million in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality over the non-payment of bills by customers in the last five years.

PDS’ concerns come amid the unrest in the municipality as it engages in a mass disconnection exercise.

The Tema Regional General Manager of the PDS, Joseph Mensah Forson, highlighted some of PDS’ financial challenges whilst accusing controversial group, the United Krobo Foundation of fuelling the agitations against its mass disconnection exercise.

“These actions by the customers in the district have caused the company serious challenges in its commercial activities and in effect, its finances and operations. Counting back from 2014 up to 2019, we are talking about close to GHc 86 million.”

Mr. Forson also discounted claims of overbilling as alleged by power consumers in the Kroboland explaining that they are merely accumulated Bills from over the years.

“The bills that they are talking about and they say they are overbilling; it is not overbilling per se. It is the terminologies that they are getting wrong,” he remarked.

According to him, their metres were installed by the Ministry of Energy and “by the time that we were made aware to make sure we capture these customers, probably they may have enjoyed electricity for a year, two or three years.”

“So when you get that a year, two or three years bill… it is as a result of the residual years that the metres were not captured. That is what they actually project as overbilling,” Mr. Forson added.

The unrest over the disconnection exercise has led to at least one death, many injuries and the arrest of 35 persons.

About 100 security personnel have been deployed to the district to curb rioting that went on for days.

The person who died was hit by a stray bullet during an attack on a police team providing protection at the Municipal Assembly Office on Wednesday afternoon.

The Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye Darfuor, has charged security personnel deployed to the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality to arrest members of the United Krobo Foundation accused of fueling violence.