PURC suggests ECG educate public technical standards

Ho, Nov 30, GNA - Nana Yaa Gyantua, Director Public Relations and External Affairs of the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC), on Tuesday said there was the urgent need for the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to carry out a massive public education on the confines of its quality assurance standards.

She said it appeared standards for house wiring and power connection to houses from distribution lines, especially in the Self Help Electricity Programme (SHEP) areas were being compromised.

Nana Gyantua was interacting with Journalists as part of her visit to the newly established Volta Regional Office of the PURC in Ho.

She said reports indicated that cables used in some domestic wiring could be substandard, technical hands for the jobs unqualified and points of dropping power irregular.

Nana Gyantua said the interconnections and substandard cables could affect the quality of power to consumers, resulting in damage to their electrical wires and might even cause fires.

She conceded that ECG had constraints but stressed the company should insist on going by the set standards, educate consumers to do the right thing and not succumb to pressures to do the wrong thing.

Nana Gyantua urged the media to hype the rights of consumers and need for them to report grievances to the PURC offices.

She said the general public should know the limits of the utility organizations especially with regards to disconnections but added that consumers must also be responsible by paying their bills and avoid illegal connections.

Nana Gyantua said electricity and water represented the heartthrob of every economy and that PURC was out to ensure fairness to both consumers and providers.

Mr Philip Agbezudor, PURC Volta Regional Manager, said the Ho office was the fifth regional office to be established in the commission's decentralization drive.

He said he was liaising with the ECG and the Ghana Water Company officials in the region to ensure that power and water extension processes to virgin areas fall within the regulations.

GNA