THE ELECTRICITY Company of Ghana?s decision to cut power supply to Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) over the latter?s unpaid light bills has ignited an unhealthy battle between the two institutions.
Less than a week after the ECG took that bold action, the KMA has also responded in a vicious manner by threatening to lock the offices of ECG over the latter?s default in payment of transformer property rates and business operating permits.
The ECG cut power supply to the KMA last Friday, for defaulting payment for two years, amounting to GH? 56,000 ; an action the ECG believes was impacting negatively on their operations.
But the KMA on the other hand, contends that the ECG was indebted to the assembly an amount of GH?125,975 and GH?8,000 for property rate for transformers and business operating permit, respectively.
Speaking with DAILY GUIDE, Gordon Okumah Nyame, PRO for KMA admitted that indeed the KMA owed ECG a sum of GH?56,000, adding that the ECG also owed the KMA over GH?130,000.
He said his outfit was discussing with ECG to strike out the difference of the amount it owed the KMA for peace to prevail.between the two institutions, only for the ECG to cut power supply to the KMA on Friday.
Okumah Nyame said the KMA relied on its plant to provide power at the assembly during the period until power was restored by the ECG on Wednesday after the KMA had made part payment of the amount it owed.
He said the KMA did not take any drastic action on locking the ECG?s Kumasi West Office over the amount it owed the assembly because ?we thought it would have bad consequence on the populace.?
When contacted, Erasmus Baidoo, PRO, ECG, said the KMA had defaulted payment of light bills for 24 months and the ECG?s demand notice to the KMA was not responded to.
This, he said, made the ECG to cut power supply to the KMA, contending that the KMA?s suggestion that the ECG should strike out the difference of an amount the ECG owed the assembly was not proper.
According to him, property rates were paid annually whilst electricity bills were paid on monthly basis in order for the ECG to continually provide power supply to the public, so the KMA?s argument was baseless.
Later on in an interview on Kapital Radio, Okumah Nyame said the KMA had reminded the ECG over the amount it owed the assembly amounting to over GH?130,000.
He said the response of the ECG would determine the next line of action that the KMA would take.
Speaking on the same network, Erasmus Baidoo, the ECG PRO described the KMA?s action as a kneejerk one, disclosing that the KMA also owed ECG over meters they placed at the Sokoban Wood Village two years ago.
Source-Daily Guide
