Overbilling: We stand by the Krobos – NPP

The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has declared its support for the people of Lower Manya in the wake of the deadly clashes with police over alleged overbilling and mass disconnection exercise by Power Distribution Services.

“We as a people of Lower Manya Krobo NPP stand by the people of the Krobo Land and until the last customer or consumer of power in Lower Manya is served justice on overbilling, wrongful billing and rightful accumulated bills we will continue to stand by them and fight for them,” the NPP in Lower Manya Krobo announced at a press conference Monday, May 27.

The press conference was addressed by the party’s constituency secretary and assistant secretary, Goldman Awuku Dodzi and Ayerh Kofi Zhando respectively.

“We are not saying we will not pay electricity bills because was built on our land. We also have a water treatment plant built on our land [and] no single Krobo complained that they will not pay the water bill. We have been paying water bills and we have been electricity bills and our forefathers paid, our fathers paid, we are paying and our children that will follow us will also pay. The only thing we will not pay are overbilling, wrongful billings and then unconsumed power billed us,” the party adds.

Background

The youth organized a spontaneous protest to petition the Municipal Chief Executive for the Area, Kwaku Simon Tetteh, on their concerns on overbilling by PDS and its ongoing mass disconnection exercise.

They mounted roadblocks and pelted the PDS Staff with stones and sticks at Yohe, a community near Odumase Krobo when PDS staff went to the community to discontinue its mass disconnection exercise.

The irate youth smashed a PDS Nissan Pick Up with Registration Number GV 2318-1. It took the intervention of armed Police personnel to rescue the PDS staff.

The PDS staff decided to switch off the transformer cutting off power supply to the entire area.

Shortly after the attack, the angry youth mobilized to embark on a protest to petition the MCE but the armed Police rushed to protect the Municipal Assembly Office by preventing the youth from entering the premises.

This has led to clashes between the youth and the Police. Many warnings shots have been fired to disperse the youth who are also attacking the Police with stones and other implements.