.. residents bemoan high ECG tariffs and illegal disconnections
Sky-rocketing utility bills, illegal disconnections coupled with general hardship within Ketu South district of the volta region is fuelling growing discontent among the youth who have vowed to take to the streets to express their disappointment to the government.
Barring any hitches concerned youths of Akatsi South Municipality in the Volta region have indicated their readiness to hit the streets on June 4th to protest in exercise of their democratic rights in a march dubbed ‘Evaglo Demo’, to wit; ‘Enough is enough’.
Convenors of the demonstration said masses of youth expected at the march would speak against hikes in electricity tariffs and illegal disconnection of residents on holidays and from Low Voltage (LV) poles.
According to the organizers, “Evaglo demo” is expected to draw thousands of participants from the length and breadth of the municipality; starting at 8:00 am from the main Akatsi lorry park to proceed to the municipal office of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and hoped it would carry the needed weight stop the disconnection of resident’s fraudulent submission of estimated bills. The demonstrators would converge at the forecourt of the municipal assembly after the demonstration where they expect the Municipal Chief Executive, MCE to address the crowd.
A leading member of the organizers, Sitsofe Vuvor stated that they are demanding a drop in the high electricity tariffs, and an end to the illegal disconnections of residents on holidays and from LV poles, which is a violation of PURC laws, transparency and accountability from ECG and government officials, and an end to the distribution of estimated bills instead of actual bills.
“It is unacceptable for the Akatsi South branch of the ECG to presume our energy consumption without reading our meters, and we will no longer tolerate this injustice.
“We will no longer be silenced by the injustices we face – as youths, we will continue to demand action from our leaders to address the issues affecting our municipality,” Vuvor stated.
He assured to maintain a peaceful participation and to accommodate every willing resident of the municipality during the spun of the demonstration, indicating they have already sort permission for the go ahead from the police who they expect to guard the sanctity of the demonstration to a successful end..