Koforidua, March 6, GNA – The Eastern Regional Office of the Public Utilities regulatory Commission (PURC) last year resolved over 2,039 out of 2,044 complaints received from customers representing 99.
58 percent.
The complaints were received from customers across the 33 districts of the Eastern region on unsatisfactory services received from the Utility Services providers, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL).
The categories of the complaints ranged from billing issues for both water and electricity, payment, quality of service, metering, disconnection, and damaged properties by the utility providing companies, among others.
Mr Jude Aduamoah-Addo, Eastern Regional Director of the PURC in an interview with the GNA indicated that most of the complaints were received during public outreach education embarked by the PURC to educate the public on their rights and responsibilities as far as utilities were concerned whiles others were received from customers on their WhatsApp platforms and in the office.
He said the complaints received annually from both the public and the utility providers showed confidence in the PURC in delivering on its mandate and urged customers not to hesitate to reach them on any means to avert the escalation of issues.
Similarly, the Eastern Regional Office of the PURC received 1,964 in 2021 complaints against the utility companies in 2020 out of which 1,941 were ably resolved through mediation as part of the regulatory mandate of the PURC.
He explained that by the nature of the services provided by ECG, it had over 1,789 complaints lodged against them, and the top issues were frequent power outages, voltage fluctuation, pole faults, cable issues, delayed new service connection, overbilling and wrongful reading.
The Regional Director noted that pole replacement and new service connections from the ECG had been identified to be one of the major issues to be addressed due to the huge demand for services as a result of springing up of new communities and assured that in line with the PURC mandate it would be dealt with.
“Already in 2021, as part of the complaints resolved, we were able to ensure installation of 85 electricity poles to some rural areas, delivery of 454 maiden bills to customers who were using power but not paying for it, fixing of six transformers and billing adjustment to the tune of GH¢16,008 cedis.”
Others were 38 meter replacements, 14 new service connections, 82 burst pipes fixed and significant improvement in the supply of water at Somanya and its environs and noted that working with the ECG to ensure coverage for new communities.
Mr Aduamoah-Addo assured that in line with their regulatory mandate, the regional office would intensify public education and outreaches this year to measure delivery of the utility providers in compliance with the benchmarks.
Source: Ghana News Agency
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