The Accra West region of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has uncovered the illegal connection of power at three entertainment joints at Korle Wokon in Accra.

The centres are Club House, Tee’s Tavern Pub and Grill and the Jubilee Pool House.

Officials of the ECG said the three joints had by-passed their meters to tap power directly from ECG lines.

Discovery

The illegal acts were discovered by ECG officials during a random check about midnight last Wednesday, July 1.

The acting Manager of Technical Investigations of the Revenue Protection Division of the ECG, Mr Ishmael Tetteh Oku, who led the operation, with support from the police, told the Daily Graphic that such illegal acts were uncovered based on tip-offs and surprise visits to homes and other establishments.

He said it was through one of such visits that the ECG was able to uncover the illegal acts at Korle Wokon.
Based on an assessment done by the company, he said, the three joints had been surcharged to pay GH¢44,099.85 for 34,590 kilowatts hour (KWh) of power.

Jubilee was surcharged GH¢6,979.39; Tee’s Tavern, GH¢15,586, and Club House, GH¢21,534.35,
“We based the assessment over a period of six months. It was also based on the history of their payment of bills,” he said.

Prosecution

Notwithstanding the payment of the money with which they had been surcharged, he said, the operators of the facilities would be prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others.

He hinted that the ECG was closing in all those involved in illegal connections and that very soon they would be exposed, after which they would be sent to court.

“If we all want to do away with this dumsor, we must all help the government by paying our bills promptly,” he added, warning that “once you are caught, you will be dealt with”.

Clamp down

The Public Relations Officer of the Accra West Region of the ECG, Mr Eric Asante, said the company would sustain efforts at clamping down on illegal connections.

That, he said, was because the practice was causing the company so much.

“The new objective of the ECG is to nip in the bud all forms of illegal connections. This is to enable us to get more money to undertake more projects,” he said.

According to him, the Managing Director of the ECG had asked the various regions to work hard at dealing with illegal connections, adding that the company would be able to improve service delivery if it was able to reduce losses.

Source: Daily Graphic

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