A GOOD ONE THERE, PURC

THE revelation yesterday by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) that it is illegal for consumers of water and electricity to be disconnected for the non-payment of bills on weekends and public holidays is good news to the consuming public and really an eye-opener as far as consumers’ rights are concerned.
All along, there has been the wrong perception that consumers of water and electricity did not have any rights. Consequently, they have always been unknowingly treated with contempt just because they have been left in the dark regarding their rights and obligations.
For this reason, the providers of such utilities go scot-free even when they have been at great fault, not even seeing the need to render any apology for the inconveniences caused to their consumers.
We hope that this ill-treatment, which most consumers have endured in the past and can be likened to some of the wrongful arrests carried out by some unscrupulous policemen for certain petty squabbles during the weekends and which have the tendency to jeopardise the peace, will be consigned to the dustbin.
According to the commission, under its Legislative Instrument (LI) 1651, any disconnection based on the non-payment of bills must first be preceded by a written notice and then a 14-day grace period.
It is also heart-warming to learn that in fact the PURC law has a special dispensation for schools, hospitals, the physically-challenged and people above 65 years who are living alone. Furthermore, for such category of consumers, instead of the 14-day grace period after notification, the law allows a grace period of 30 days before services to them can be disconnected.
Hitherto, many people in this country either did not know about this or they had not heard about its existence. Now we are told that any disconnection done in breach of the LI could be reported to the police or the PURC for redress. The arbitrariness on the part of the utility providers, the DAILY GRAPHIC believes, stems from lack of education, which should have been carried out long ago. But all the same it is better late than never.
Since the PURC is mandated to regulate services and rates and monitor the providers, it should regularly embark on public education drives to educate the public on their rights and obligations in order to satisfy all interest groups.
With the PURC having shown the way, it is now incumbent on the utility service providers to demonstrate goodwill and implement the law without recourse to any mischief, especially when our courts are inundated with cases of the refusal of the service providers to connect tenants of houses where previous users failed to pay their bills.
It is also worrying that about 50 per cent of water generated from the Kpong Dam is unaccounted for as a result of ineffective monitoring. There is the need to preserve and conserve both water and electricity, without which our lives as humans will be unbearable. In fact, without water, there will be no life.
We, therefore, call on the utility service providers to properly monitor their products to minimise wastage.