Micro businesses unhappy with Dansoman ECG over load shedding exercise

MICRO businesses within the Dansoman SSNIT Flats area and its surrounding areas have strongly protested what they describe as the indiscriminate load shedding exercise being undertaken in their community by the Dansoman branch of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

According to them, apart from being subjected to reduced hours of power each day, the ECG was also not being consistent with the load shedding exercise.

That, they complained, was seriously affecting their businesses and source of livelihood. They have, therefore, called for immediate action.

Madam Agnes Konadu, a hairdresser who has more than 11 apprentices complained to the Daily Graphic that “we do not know what schedule we are on and that’s a major bother because the apprentices come, hoping to have light but in the end there is nothing.”

What is even more appalling, she noted, was the fact that “areas such as Mama’s Inn and Sahara, among others Gas, have light consistently. They go off only once in a while and I can’t understand that.”

Fuming with anger, she called on the authorities to bring the Dansoman ECG manager to book, since “he seems not to care about our complaints.”

A tailor, Mr Patrick Opoku, also expressed similar sentiments and urged the head office to bring some order into the system to prevent what he also described as “unwarranted discrimination against those of us in the SSNIT Flats.”

Residents complain

Meanwhile, the residents in the flats and it’s surrounding areas have also raised red flags against the actions of the ECG officials in the area.

“When we look over the hills from the flats, we constantly see light and we wonder whether they are not in Ghana,” a resident said in anger.

According to her, “we have all come to accept the ‘dum so dum so,’ but it seems some are being sacrificed to make others more comfortable and this is simply unacceptable.”

A public servant who also resides in the flats wondered why residents in the flats, who are all on prepaid meters and, therefore, pay upfront for the power they consume, will be subjected to such ‘inhumane’ treatment ‘ while areas which do not even pay regularly are enjoying constant power supply.

“People are not working yet they take their pay and by their actions subject  the government  to ridicule,” he said, adding that “what is happening to us is simply somebody’s irresponsibility because we all know there is power rationing.”

They urged the Dansoman manager of the company to “leave his air conditioned office and get to the ground to ensure that there is equity in the load shedding exercise.”

Source: Graphic online