Residents of Nyohini, a suburb of Tamale, have expressed their concerns over the high cost of power consumption and service charges on new smart pre-paid meters installed by the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCO) and Volta River Authority (VRA) in collaboration with the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC). In a press release received by Ghana360news.com, the residents complained of being left in the dark about how the new smart pre-paid meters operate and being subjected to deductions that have no basis.
According to the residents, staff of NEDCO and VRA have attempted to explain these deductions as service charges, which consumers have been told are deducted monthly. However, their checks and calculations reveal that these service charges apply each time they buy power, ranging between GHc 25 and as high as GHc 37 in some cases. The residents are questioning how long they will continue to pay these high service charges and are calling for urgent inclusion of the kilowatts equivalent on all their purchases henceforth.
The residents of Nyohini are also concerned about the current hikes in power tariffs, which have made it necessary for them to buy up to GHc 350 worth of power for a whole month. They believe NEDCO, VRA, and PURC have connived to frustrate all efforts of consumers in their pursuits for realistic tariffs. In addition, the residents are requesting that the amounts they owe in debts to NEDCO and VRA should be clearly indicated each time payments are made, and the remaining balances should be captured to avoid any discrepancies.
The NEDCO app has also come under scrutiny, with residents reporting challenges with purchasing power through customer momo accounts. Some have purchased power and have not been issued token numbers, and their monies have not been refunded. The app also appears to have several malfunctions, which indicates it is still under construction but has been put out into the public domain for consumption.
In conclusion, the residents of Nyohini are calling for the immediate replacement of all their old meters without delay. They recall that NEDCO and VRA, in their pursuit to change these new meters, entered various areas of Nyohini with the military to forcefully install these problematic meters. If NEDCO and VRA knew they were doing the right thing, the residents are questioning what business did the military have in the installation of new meters?
The residents of Nyohini hope that their concerns will be addressed and solutions found to improve their experience with the new smart pre-paid meters and power tariffs.
Source: Ghana360news.com
