PDS continues mass disconnection in Manya Krobo despite attacks

There was uneasy calm in some communities in the Lower Manya Krobo municipality of the Eastern Region on Tuesday morning as staff of Power Distribution Services (PDS) continue disconnecting households who are in debt for two or more years. PDS staff with police escort were in households at Abanze to continue their disconnection exercise from Monday. The exercise was peaceful as some residents who paid over 30 per cent of their debt were reconnected . Some residents were, however, peeved that the erstwhile ECG did not manage information well. Others also pointed to error in the billing system for reasons they disregarded paying the bills. Those who had their lights back at Agamanor expressed regret for not paying. Beyond these concerns from residents is the kind of metres shared by assembly men to some residents under the Self-help Electrification Project. These metres also had issues, they complained. Leading the disconnection team, the PDS Senior staff Union Chair, Christopher Apawu, urged residents to pay one-third of what they owe and visit the office at Somanya for clarification on bills they had issues with. He was clear the PDS would not give up on the exercise. Mid-way into the exercise at Agormanor , residents resisted the second team of PDS staff and residents in the area. They pelted stones at them to stop them from entering their homes to continue the exercise. The PDS had to remove a line connecting to the main grid from the main line under police protection. At Maadam, the riot had already massed up when the PDS and police escort got there to remove some lines from the transformer. They burnt tyres and pelted them with stones. The police fired warning shots in the air to scare them off and destroyed the burning tyres. The PDS officials and police were fast to finish that disconnection before the riot got intense. The PDS is urging resident to be calm and jawjaw with them. They have vowed to continue the exercise unabated. By Yvonne Neequaye|3news.com|Manya Krobo, Eastern Region|Ghana]]>