The Ashanti Regional Office of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has deepened its consumer engagement drive through its household outreach program dubbed *“Tell PURC”*, aimed at bringing the Commission closer to consumers and creating awareness of their rights and responsibilities.
As part of the exercise, officials of the Commission visited households in *Asafo, Fante New Town, Asawase, Amakom and their environs* to educate consumers on electricity and water-related issues, provide information on utility services and receive complaints directly from the public.
So far, *hundreds of residents across these communities have been engaged* through the initiative. The program has provided an opportunity for consumers to share their experiences and challenges with the Commission, while also enabling PURC to understand better issues affecting households at the grassroots.
All complaints and concerns received from the engagements *have been processed and forwarded to the attention of the respective utility service providers* – the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Ghana Water Limited (GWL) – for the necessary investigation and redress, in line with the Commission’s mandate.
Through *Tell PURC*, the Commission seeks to strengthen consumer confidence, promote transparency and accountability in utility service delivery, and ensure that consumers have accessible and responsive channels for grievance resolution.
During the interactions, residents raised *intermittent water flow, poor water quality and billing anomalies* as the major water-supply challenges in the area. On electricity supply, *unannounced outages, voltage fluctuations and rising incidents of meter theft* were identified as the predominant concerns. Officers assured victims of meter theft that the Commission is engaging the service provider to facilitate the prompt replacement of their meters.
PURC encourages consumers in the beneficiary communities to continue to be welcoming and to actively participate in the program throughout *this month of August*, and to use the Commission’s available complaint channels to report concerns and seek clarification on matters relating to electricity and water services.
