By Samuel Akumatey, GNA
Aflao, July 12, GNA-The Power Distribution Services (PDS) Ghana, has said it had no delight in disconnecting customers who owed bills.
It therefore appealed to its customers to pay bills promptly to avoid service disconnections.
Mr Delali Oklu, General Manager for PDS in the Volta/Oti Regions, said disconnections which were undertaken over piled up arrears, were not borne out of mischief but necessary to prevent the accumulation of bills, and to ensure the Company generated the needed revenue to sustain its operations.
The General Manager who was addressing customers at the PDS maiden “Customer Complaints Day” at Aflao, said “we are in business so we expect our customers to pay for the power we sell to them to enable us pay our suppliers and provide quality services,” he stated.
Mr. Oklu said the Customer Complaints Day would be organized frequently to familiarise with concerns of the public and close communication gaps with its customers.
“As a customer oriented Company, we want to take our services closer to the people, address unresolved issues and communicate improvements in the quality of supply plus the gains made in rendering better services to customers,” he said.
Mr Oklu urged customers to pay bills within 14 days of notice as directed by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) for uninterrupted service.
He advised the public to use electricity judiciously to help reduce consumption, and offered some energy conservation tips including ironing in bulk, and buying quality electrical appliances.
Mr. Oklu warned against the practice of illegal connection, saying it was a criminal offense punishable by law.
He also urged the public to desist from entering into PDS networks unlawfully and to contact the nearest PDS office for prompt resolution of outages.
Mr. Oklu assured that the Company would invest “heavily” in advanced metering technology to curb growing concerns over meters in the country.
“One of the key areas that PDS will look to strengthen is the metering aspect of the Company to ensure our meters meet international standards and bring relief to our customers,” he said.
Mr Jones Makumator, Regional Engineer for the Company, advised the public to use raincoats instead of umbrellas during rainstorms to avert the risk of being struck by lightning.
“When you are in a plain field and it is raining, it is important to use raincoats than umbrellas because when lightning strikes the tip of an umbrella, you can be electrocuted,” he said.
Mr Makumator also urged the public to be mindful of PDS cables when lifting canopies during social events like weddings and funerals to prevent electrocution as a result of the canopy getting contact with high tension cables.