<<Print>>

The Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCO) is to prosecute operators of eight sawmill companies at the Tamale Timber Market, for illegally connecting electric power to their installations. NEDCO, led by its Central Co-ordinating Task Force and Area Task Force, visited the Tamale Timber Market on Monday to inspect electrical connections of the saw mills and discovered that eight out of 10 operators illegally connected electric power to their installations. It, therefore, disconnected electric power to the affected sawmills and asked the operators to report at the NEDCO offices where necessary action would be taken against them. Alhaji Mohammed Siam, Manager of Public and Community Relations of NEDCO said the electric load to the affected sawmills would be assessed, and operators made to pay the accumulated bills or face prosecution. Alhaji Siam said some of the affected saw milloperators, who connected power to their installations without authorization from NEDCO, would be directly processed for court. He explained that the nature of the illegal connections by the sawmill operators, which included meter by-pass where most machines were drawing electric power outside of the meter with only bulbs drawing power from the meter. The other form was total meter by-pass where the entire installation was drawing power outside the meter. Alhaji Siam said the exercise would be extended to houses and other institutions in the region to rid it of illegal connections.