The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has slapped the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) with a fine of Gh¢ 202,640 for breaching the law regarding the purchase and vending of pre-payment meters.
Staff of the power distributor abandoned post for close to three days over plans by the government to privatise a section of their operations, leaving several of its customers stranded at their vending points.
The PURC decided to sanction ECG because it also failed to provide contingency measures to ensure customers of pre-payment metering could proceed to buy credits during the industrial strike.
The Commission has directed ECG to pay the fine before September 16, failure of which would attract an extra Gh¢10,000 for each day of non-compliance of the order.
According to the PURC the ECG breached LI 1861 and LI 1935.
“The PURC as the regulator of water and electricity services wishes to indicate that the commission has the mandate to protect the interest of the consumer and ensure the financial viability of the utility service provider and we will tip this balance carefully and equitably by using all the relevant Laws and Regulations available to assist us fulfill our regulatory mandate,” the statement noted.
Source: Dan Kwasi Prince// www.dailyviewgh.com /Ghana
Writer’s email dailyviewgh@gmail.com
