PDS forgives Krobos GHS111,099,876.29 power debt

Ghana’s Power Distribution Services Limited (PDS), the main electricity distributor, has wiped off over GHS111,099,876.29 of a total power debt of GHS195,725,500.29 owed by Krobos in the Eastern Region, leaving an amount of GHS84,625,624 to be paid by the consumers on soft basis, the MP for Lower Manya Constituency, Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi has told journalists.

Apart from wiping off some of the debt, PDS has also relaxed a 70% upfront payment of bills policy and has resolved to give the customers a six-month grace period within which they are to clear their remaining debts. That period could be extended for customers with peculiar challenges.

Additionally, PDS, on Friday, 24 May 2019, restored power to the various Krobo areas in the Lower Manya Krobo municipality that were taken off the national grid since Wednesday, 22 May 2019, as part of a mass disconnection exercise which turned bloody and resulted in the death of one person and the injuring of some residents.

Those areas include Kpongunor, Yohe, Sokwenya, Manam and Sainsi.

The compromises and agreement were reached following a meeting of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), the General Manager of PDS, Tema Region, the MP for the area and assembly members of the six areas affected by the power rumpus.

As part of the agreement, the PDS is expected to confer with senior authorities in the Krobo areas to restore all disconnected transformers once the safety of the engineers can be guaranteed.

The customers are also to give PDS staff unrestricted access to their homes so current metre readings could be made for accurate billing.

The stakeholders also came to an agreement that customers with billing discrepancies and anomalies should contact PDS’ Customer Care offices for redress.