PURC has outlived its relevance - Atik Mohammed

General Secretary of the People's National Convention (PNC) Atik Mohammed says the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) is not useful any longer.

Contributing to Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' on Thursday, Atik Mohammed stated emphatically that the PURC has outlived its relevance because it has failed to deliver on the mandate Ghanaians have given the Commission.

A couple of days ago, the PURC ordered the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to suspend the implementation of their new billing software with immediate effect.

The Commission's directive came in the wake of the high tariffs on electricity supply and the perennial energy crises confronting electricity consumers.

Users of prepaid meters have been complaining bitterly about the "Usian Bolt" running of their credits on the meters.

They complain that the credits diminish quickly even though they run on the same home or work appliances.

"The Commission after a thorough investigation into the matter through our monitoring exercises which culminated into visits to specific areas and also interrogation of bills which were presented to Consumers by the Electricity Company of Ghana, came to the conclusion that there was an anomaly in the initial implementation of the new Billing software," the PURC stated.

The Commission further directed the ECG to put in place measure to alleviate the plight of customers who have been slapped with high bills because of the implementation of the New Billing Software.

Atik Mohammed however sees the intervention of the PURC as untimely, asking what they were doing since last year when the billing begun.

“All along, what were they doing? Were they sleeping on their jobs?"

He stressed that the Commission have looked on for the Electricity Company of Ghana to "steal" from Ghanaians.

He likened the high billing by the electricity supplier to "theft", claiming their actions are just criminal.

Atik Mohammed told host Kwami Sefa Kayi that he sees nothing relevant about the Commission's work.

“Seriously speaking, I think that body is beginning to show that it has outlived its relevance. PURC is no longer useful. Because when you look at the mandate given them, they don’t seem to be doing it. I state that with all the emphasis that I can command…It is not relevant again.”