ECG, Police tango over illegal connection raises more questions

The Police Administration blaming ECG for illegal connection which is electricity connected directly to some of its facilities in Accra and Kumasi without metering systems confirms revenues losses.

This indicates that for the number of years that the Police Officers used power, no bills have been paid.

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) as part of a month-long revenue mobilization exercise accused the Osu Police Barracks in Accra and Kumasi Central Police Station of illegal connection.

In response, the Police Administration after conducting investigations rejected the accusation saying the connections were done by ECG officials some years ago.

Procedurally, when the  ECG connects power to a building without a meter, it surcharges a fixed rate paid monthly by the consumer.

Since the buildings disconnected for illegal connection did not have meters, no fixed rate was paid and a bulk metering system was also not in place, it caused ECG revenue losses.

Though the Police allege that the connections in question at the Osu Police Barracks and Kumasi Central Police stations were done by officials of ECG, it did not provide proof of filled application forms requesting for service connection.

The Police Administration also did not name the ECG officials who connected power to the buildings, neither did it provide the date power was connected to these buildings.

The Police Administration providing the application form would have vindicated the Service.

This is because, the form will contain the name of the Police Officer who made the request, the date the request was made to show that the Police officially requested for power connection to the affected buildings.

With these, ECG should be able to trace which official processed the request as well as the officials assigned to do the connection.

The suggestion by the Police administration for the ECG to provide bulk metering systems to police facilities also has its own challenges.

In the first place, most Police facilities in Ghana are small and do not qualify for bulk metering since their consumption is small.

It is important to point out that the bulk metering system is expensive and therefore installing it at all big Police facilities across Ghana will come at huge cost.

This is not a battle between ECG MD Samuel Dubik Mahama and IGP Dr George Akuffo Dampare because the issue in contention predates their administrations as heads of the two institutions.

The two institutions should engage each other to find a lasting solution to the matter.