ECG leaves Kejetia market in darkness and heat, market disconnected for owing bills
Trading activities at the newly constructed Kejetia Market has come to a halt as vendors have been forced to work in the dark and under the scorching heat.
This is because the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has disconnected electricity to the plant serving the market on Wednesday, October 13 due to accrued arrears.
According to Akoma FM merchants had not paid their electricity bills in over five months, forcing ECG authorities to turn off the power and cut off the dealers’ services.
The situation in the market, which is home to over 800,000 vendors in the city’s core business centre, has been dreadful and intolerable.
Reuben Amey, the Traders’ General Secretary, recounts the situation saying “at about 11:30 Wednesday morning, we just realized our lights are out only to realize that the ECG officials have cut the power because we owe them”.
According to market investigations, the last time management brought up the issue of the electricity payment was in April, when the debt was about GH435,000.
Despite the fact that the merchants are suffering from extreme heat and darkness as a result of the power outage, they feel this development proves the shopkeepers’ case for separate meters for each locked store.
“This is only the beginning of what we, the leaders, have been proposing,” said Nana Prempeh, Chairman of the Federation of Kumasi Traders. “We’ve been warning that linking 7,203 establishments to one meter makes no sense and that the bill distribution will be an issue. Now you can see what we’re up against!”
it is however unclear when power will be restored back into the market.
Source: Richard Mensah Adonu | Join our Telegram Group
