Some residents of the Yilo and Manya Krobo municipalities in the Eastern Region are urging the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to revert to the modalities it developed with the people as part of efforts to halt the long-standing feud that has plunged the two municipalities into darkness for more than two weeks.

According to the residents, attempts to set aside an agreed roadmap for a forceful installation of prepaid meters may not be successful. 

The usually busy atmosphere in Somanya, Odumase, Nuaso and other surrounding towns and villages is now relatively calm.

From a distance, one could hear the humming sounds of portable generators and power plants, an indication that the ECG has indeed taken the two municipalities off the national grid.

In the face of the disturbing situation, however, some traders are cashing in as the demand for generators is high.

“It's been almost three weeks since they took off the light so the demand for generators is high. In the first week, market was good, the second week too same thing but it has reduced small small in the third week because the people hear the light will be on".  One of the generator sellers told Joy News 

There have been reports of plans by ECG to restore power but residents are frustrated with the turn of events. They want power to be restored immediately.

The Administrator of the St. Martin's de Porres Hospital in Agormanya, Emmanuel Bosompem said high cost of fuelling power plants and generator sets is draining the coffers of the hospitals.

"Since the power cut we have spent almost sixty thousand cedis on fuel because we can't run the hospital which is fully digitized without electricity. The best source of power is from the ECG so we can only appeal to them to restore it so that we can effectively run the hospital". He stated

General Secretary of Kloma Hengme, Dr. Eric Tamatey Sikatse, a youth group in Lower Manya Krobo, tells JoyNews, the residents are not against the move by the ECG to fix the problem but they want them to adhere to the modalities agreed by the two parties.

“First of all, ECG should restore power immediately. That is the first step to resolve such issues. Secondly, ECG must revert to the modalities we co-adopted with them. Forcing down the installation of the pre-paid will not solve the issue. The only way we can do it is to go back and go according to the modalities we agreed to use.

The Development Queen of Odumase Krobo owns a pre-school in Odumase and doubles as the Human Resource head of the Manya Krobo Rural Bank.

Manye Angmorkwor Yoko I says her business, like all other enterprises, is reeling under what she describes as an uncomfortable condition.

Meanwhile, the MP for the Lower Manya Krobo constituency, Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, wants President Akufo-Addo to take a personal interest in the resolution of the matter.

"I am appealing to the President Nana Akufo-Addo to take personal interest in this issue. Krobo's are suffering, we need light and nothing else,” he explained.

The two municipalities have been in darkness since Wednesday, July 27, following a disagreement between the residents and the ECG over the installation of pre-paid metres.

The situation was aggravated when some unidentified persons cut an electric power pole at Okwenya in the Yilo Krobo municipality.