Nana Kwasi Prempeh
Traders at the Kejetia market are enraged at the managers of the facility’s alleged lax approach to resolving individual metering concerns at the market, threatening to stage a demonstration.
The traders, who have attached red bands to every vantage point of the facility, have been spitting fire after launching a series of activities to embark upon against the facility administrators to demand the installation of separate electricity meters for each store.
They claimed that the current situation is harming their businesses since they are compelled to pay exorbitant electrical bills.
Nana Akwasi Prempeh, President of the Federation of Kumasi Traders, stated that bills have risen from GH¢640,000 per month to GH¢776,000 after the PURC announced an upward review.
According to him, they are aware that the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has meters available and wondered why management of the Kejetia had failed to get them individual meters.
“It makes us assume that somebody is benefiting in some way,” he noted and added that they had run out of patience.
“We have on countless occasions reminded management to deal with our metering issues, but it appears nothing is being done,” the General Secretary of the Kejetia Petty Traders Association, Reuben Ameh, also said.
He pointed out that the facility was supposed to disconnect from the Ghana Water grid and rely on its borehole, but that was also not happening.
“We don’t understand why, despite the fact that the Kejetia Market is located on the best water grid in Kumasi, we continue to pay exorbitant fees to the Ghana Water Company,” Mr. Ameh stated.
He was concerned that the report on the market fire outbreak had not been released, despite the fact that the committee had delivered its findings to the minister.
“We have written letters on countless occasions, but we are yet to receive a response from the government,” he said.
By Ernest Kofi Adu