PURC holds public education at Ada west

Businesses and Investors seeking to invest in the Ada West District are likely to be discouraged by the power outages that have bedevilled the area for the past one year.

The Ada West District Coordinating Director, Francis Kweku Asiedu said the power outage which intermittently occurs about four to five times in a day and could sometimes last for three whole days, was affecting the operations of the Assembly as well as other business activities that rely on electric power supply.

The prevailing situation of unreliable power supply in the area which he argued, had hit its crescendo, could discourage prospective investors from establishing businesses in the area and affect development of the communities in the young Assembly.

Mr. Asiedu disclosed this to the 'Ghanaian Times' Thursday on the sidelines of a Town Hall meeting organised by the Public Utilities Regulations Commission (PURC) to discuss concerns about electricity and water supply in the area.

Though he admitted that his District was not the only area affected by the erratic power supply, he expressed worry about the intensity and duration of one year adding, that, "apart from the effect on economic activities and revenue generation, the discomfort at night and the intense heat discouraged rural dwelling".

He however said, all complaints to the District office of the Power Distribution Services yielded no results.

However all efforts by this reporter to contact the Ada District Manager of the PDS on telephone for explanation proved futile.

The PURC led by the Greater Accra Regional Manager, Gifty Bruce-Nelson urged the participants to submit their complaints in writing to the commission to be forwarded to the utility providers for redress after investigations.

The participants made up of Staff of the Assembly, Assembly members, chiefs and opinion leaders were educated on how the PURC protects the interest of consumers, receive and investigate complaints and settle disputes and debts between consumers and the utilities providers, monitor and enforce standards of performance for provision of utility services, illegal electricity and water connections and its consequences among others.

The participants were taken through rigorous energy saving tips like bulk ironing, putting all lights, gadgets and sockets off when not in use, using energy efficient refrigerators, avoiding frequent opening of fridge to prevent warm air from entering among others.

Ms Bruce-Nelson said the exercise was part of a programme by the PURC to create awareness and sensitizing the public on their rights, roles and responsibilities as far as utility usage was concerned.

She encouraged Assembly members to organise meetings in their electoral areas to identify their problems and invite the PURC to address their concerns.