"Sack ECG Management"

A suggestion has been made to the government to replace the management of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) for their gross inefficiency with a more efficient one.

Mr. Dela Akpey, who described himself as the ex-chairman of the National Metre readers Association, said the failure of the present management to play a more purposeful supervisory role in the company has accounted for the recent upward adjustment of electricity tariffs imposed on the unfortunate consumer.

Making the suggestion at Ho, Mr. Akpey also called for the privitisation of metre reading in order to check illegal connections.

He was of the view that it would be a foolhardy venture to assign the staff of ECG the responsibility of fishing out illegal connections since, according to him, most of the illegal connections have been done by them for years.

Furthermore, he appealed to the management of ECG to monitor the activities of the company's cashiers as they, most often, frustrate attempts by customers to pay their bills.

Mr. Akpey cited instances where cashiers who report for duty rather choose to spend much time praying in their cages much to the chagrin of the waiting customers.

He said by their policy ECG bills are to be paid at any office of the company between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on weekdays and from 8:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays but regretted the inefficiency in the system and called for the plugging of all the loopholes and the termination of the appointments of lazy and non-performing staff.

The executive secretary of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Stephen Adu, emphasised that the new tariffs and previous reviews ensured that costs associated with inefficiency have not been passed onto the consumer.

He requested the utility services to intensify their internal restructuring efforts to enhance operational efficiency and improve service quality in accordance with government policy for the sector.

The acting regional director of ECG, Jones Ofori-Addo, asked customers to have confidence in their billing system but warned that those who owe the company will be prosecuted at the law courts.