The Power Distribution Service (PDS) says report that it has waived over ¢100 million of the debt owed by the residents of Krobo Odumase in the Eastern region is inaccurate.
According to the company, it used its systems to “cleanse the debt using the CMS software” from ¢195,725,500.29 down to ¢84, 625,624.87.
“PDS wishes to correct the wrong impression thus; the initial debt of ¢195,725,500.29 was as a result of estimated bills of accumulated consumption due to challenges beyond the control of the then ECG,” it explained in a release Monday.
Following the recent impasse between residents of the Krobo land, the Police Service and PDS, a meeting was held between the Tema Regional Management of the PDS, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Member of Parliament for the Lower Manya Krobo and some Assembly members.
This was to fashion out a roadmap to bring peace and the residents settling the debts owed PDS was outlined.
However, the item ‘6’ of the roadmap stated, “PDS has cleansed the debt, using the CMS software of Krobo areas from GH5195,725,500.29 down to 84, 625,624.87.”
This, the company said was misconstrued to mean the debt has been waived.
Explaining further, the power distribution company explained further that in 2017, upon a series of engagements and negotiations with the residents, the ECG was granted access to capture their actual electricity consumption.
This led to the process of “data cleaning and reconciliation” of their bills which according to PDS, is a normal process of correcting billing anomalies.
“This exercise, therefore, revealed the actual amount owed by the Krobo residents to the tune of ¢84,625,624.87, which is a reduction of the initial stated estimated debt,” the company clarified.
PDS stated categorically that “the reduction is not a waiver but the result of a normal auditing billing process which took place in 2017 with regards to customers of the Krobo enclave.”
