Luv News checks into illegal electricity connection revelations in the Amansie South District have revealed systemic revenue collection lapses that have left hundreds of installed metres consuming power with no bills for close to two years.
The revenue protection taskforce of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) last week disconnected a rented apartment of the Amansie South DCE, accusing him of engaging in an illegal connection.
But checks have revealed an ECG mapping team last year captured the apartment among a number of houses installed with local government metres and awaiting billing by the ECG.
Luv FM’s Erastus Asare Donkor led a team on a fact-finding mission to Manso Edubia, the district capital and now reported that last week, the Ashanti Regional Director of ECG, David Boadi Asamoah, led a team of ECG officials on a disconnection exercise in the Amansie South District.
Amansie South District has 86 rural communities. These communities, including the district capital Manso Edubia, benefited from an electricity extension project under the local government and energy ministries in 2020.
Electricity was extended and SHEP metres were distributed to many houses, including this house rented by the district assembly for the DCE.
The landlord and the Unit Committee Chairman led a process to get the ECG mapping team from Abuakwa to capture the electricity metre.
But like hundreds of homes in Edubia and its environs, the ECG is yet to produce bills for payment.
Luv News has cited an ECG memo issued in June 2022 and signed by Managing Director, Samuel Dubik Mahama, acknowledging the refusal of some District ECG offices to capture these metres.
The Memo directed that all such metres should be captured and regularised.
But we are told by the Manso Nkwanta ECG office that after two years, the mapping team is yet to capture a number of homes.
Meanwhile, power is being consumed with no corresponding bills for payment.
The Amansie South DCE, Clement Opoku Gyamfi, tells Luv News these affected customers and himself cannot be said to be stealing power.
The distance from communities in the district to the nearest ECG office at Manso Nkwanta is between seven and 43 kilometres. There is no revenue-collecting office at Manso Edubia.
Luv News discovered a situation where one ECG revenue officer is responsible for collecting bills in about 86 communities under the district hampering efforts in ECG revenue mobilisation in the area.
Electricity revenue is collected annually by a lady who comes to the town on selected days.
The Gyaasehene of Manso Edubia, Nana Adusei Kwadampim, says attempts to get ECG to set up an office in the town have proved futile.
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