The Sefwi-Wiawso District office of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has asked residents of Asawinso disconnected over the debt owed the company to pay at least 10 percent before reconnection.

More than 500 houses in the community were taken off the national grid last Friday due to their refusal to pay for the electricity consumed.

Martin Kofi Gyan, Sefwi-Waiwso District Manager of the Company told the GNA that the decision was taken at a meeting between the Bibiani- Anhwiaso- Bekwai Municipal Chief Executive, Alfred Amoah, representatives from the Anwhiaso traditional council, the Regional Minister, chiefs and elders from Asawinso and officials from the ECG.

He asked residents to comply with the directive to enable them to get electricity back in their homes.

Frank Nelson Ackah, Assembly Member for Asawinso A electoral area, who was at the meeting, briefed residents about the development.

Some of the residents, during the meeting with Assemblymen, agreed to pay what was agreed on at the meeting while others vowed not to pay since the amount was high.

The Assembly Member, therefore, appealed to the Central government to involve the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) to investigate the matter to ascertain whether residents consumed powers to that amount.

He, however, asked residents to comply with the directive since that was the only way to get reconnected to the National grid.

Mr Ackah, on behalf of the community, asked the staff of the company, who were attacked to forgive them.

When a revenue mobilisation taskforce of the ECG made efforts to collect the debt owed to the company from individual customers last Friday, some of the residents attacked members of the team.

The community members are yet to come to terms with the fact that the government’s free electricity as part of moves to ease the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, had ended.