Dumsor: CPP demands load-shedding timetable

The Convention People’s Party (CPP) has reiterated calls for a load-shedding timetable in light of recent, consistent power cuts in many parts of the country.

According to the CPP, it was necessary for the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to publish a schedule to enable Ghanaians incorporate it into their daily activities.

“It would be very necessary that the Electricity Company of Ghana publish a load shedding table because it is going to help people in planning. One thing that has also contributed to the experiences that we go through as a result of the dumsor is that people cannot tell what time the light will go out, before you know, the light is off. If you wanted to use the light to do some work, it becomes quite difficult,” the Communications Director of the CPP, Kadir Abdul Rauf told Citi News

He believes the timetable is even more necessary as the government’s constant assurances that the power crisis would be solved had lulled Ghanaians into a false sense of hope.

“From the perspective of the CPP, we know very well that it's appearing quite clearly that the government has failed in its promise to solve the dumsor crisis once and for all. Due to the massive failure of the government, the ECG  should come out with a schedule and make it public so that people can plan on the basis of that information,” he added.

Mahama sitting on timetable
Some workers of the ECG recently stated that a dumsor timetable prepared by the company has had to be shelved after a directive from President John Dramani Mahama.

“The timetable for the current load shedding also called ‘dumsor’ is ready but the president says we should not publish it,” they indicated.

NPP wants ‘dumsor’ timetable
The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), had earlier demanded that the government release a load shedding timetable immediately.

The NPP, in a statement signed by its Director of Communications, Nana Akomea, said a schedule is needed to allow businesses to plan.

“Ghanaians have been suffering a patterned load shedding over the last few months. Government's refusal to acknowledge it and publish a schedule has meant that consumers and industry cannot plan, thus imposing uncertainty on the Ghanaian consumer in the midst of dumsor.”

Dumsor is not back
President John Mahama recently acknowledged that there were challenges with power supply in the country but stopped short of declaring that it marked a return to load-shedding.

We are not declaring load shedding; I believe things will normalize but we are taking steps everyday to ensure that Ghana has security when it comes to power,” he emphasized.

The Power Ministry and Finance Ministry echoed the president’s comments stating that the current power outages are as a result of temporary difficulties caused by the delay in the supply of light crude among other things.

By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana