It is illegal for consumers of water and electricity to be disconnected for the non-payment of their bills at weekends and public holidays, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has reminded service providers. According to the PURC, under Legislative Instrument (LI) 1651, any disconnection based on the non-payment of bills must first be preceded with a written notice and then a 14-day grace period. This was made known during a visit by some officials of the commission, led by its Chairman, Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, to the offices of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) on Wednesday. The Director of Legal Services of the commission, Mr Emmanuel Sekor, explained further that there were plans to amend the law to include Fridays because they were the days of worship for Muslims. He said once a disconnection was made, the utility services must demonstrate that within 24 hours of payment service would be restored to the consumer. "They cannot disconnect on weekends and public holidays because they will not have the facility to reconnect after the necessary payment has been made," he stated. Mr Sekor also explained that the LI gave special dispensation to schools, hospitals, the disabled and people above 65 who were living alone. He said for such categories, instead of a 14-day period after notification, the law allowed a grace period of 30 days before there could be any disconnection. He said when a disconnection was done in breach of the LI, the aggrieved party could report to the police or the PURC to seek redress, since it was an offence. He, however, advised consumers to first report such breaches to the senior officers of the utility service providers, as that could provide them with immediate redress for their grievances. Mr Sekor, however, said the LI did not cover disconnections resulting from technical faults and illegal connections. Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said the commission had a mandate to protect the interests of consumers, utility service providers and the government. He expressed some concerns over water and electricity generation in the country and cited the fact that about 50 per cent of water generated from the Kpong Dam was unaccounted for as a result of ineffective monitoring. He said the PURC was determined to ensure that the Akosombo Dam was well operated to give the nation an optimal mix of hydro and thermal energy. The Managing Director of the GCGL, Mr Ibrahim Awal, said the group was prepared to partner the PURC to educate consumers in order to help improve service delivery. He said with its leadership role in the media industry, the GCGL, through its various publications, was well positioned to play an effective role in that regard. Mr Awal said presently the company's flagship newspaper, the Daily Graphic, had a wide readership every day and that could prove vital in any educational drive. Source: Daily Graphic