John Abdulai Jinapor
THE MINORITY in Parliament has called for the suspension of electricity tariff increase after alleging that the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has “clandestinely” hiked service charges without recourse to any public announcement.
Ranking Member of the Mines and Energy Committee, John Abdulai Jinapor, who made the allegation, said the increase in the service and other related charges within the electricity sector are averaging at almost 100%.
He told the media that some of the increases were so “steep and astronomical,” claiming that the decision was carried out through an “unorthodox approach”, which is “in complete violation of laid down processes.”
He said the PURC is required to notify consumers about any possible adjustments prior to their implementation, noting, “Even more worrying is the fact that these increments have been carried out in the most opaque and clandestine manner without recourse to any public announcement by the Public Utility and Regulatory Commission.”
“The Minority in Parliament wish to state in unequivocal terms that we completely reject these draconian price hikes given the current economic conditions as well as the surreptitious manner with which the exercise has been carried out,” he intimated.
The NDC MP for Yapei Kusawgu, therefore, called for “the immediate suspension” of the alleged price increments to allow for “better consultation and also ensure that due process is adhered in this regard.”
BY Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House