The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) did not inflate the cost of the borehole project to give money to the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the December 7 presidential and parliamentary elections, Nana Yaa Jantuah, the commission’s Public Relations Officer, has denied.
Her denial follows claims by a former General Secretary of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie that the utilities regulatory body is conniving with the governing NDC to inflate the prices of government projects to help the party finance its campaign.
According to Sir John, as he is popularly known, government’s intention of constructing one borehole at a cost of GHS 60,000 instead of GHS 18,000 is enough evidence that government is corrupt.
“It doesn’t make sense, having spoken to the players in the industry of the cost of drilling a borehole. The price that the PURC is asking government to pay, especially on sole sourcing, to be allowed to drill a single borehole at the cost of GHS60,000 does not make sense as far as people in the industry are concerned,” Sir John, told Class News’ Kwesi Parker-Wilson.
But speaking in an interview with Emefa Apawu on Class91.3FM’s 505 news programme on Tuesday November 22, Ms Jantuah said: “I am lost for words because if you talk about borehole, they are a water provision system and there are different kinds of system that are done for different kinds of people, communities, and neighbourhoods. What we are doing is an integrated water system, which includes so many parts.
“We have the submersible pump, not a manual pump. If you are using a manual pump, that one doesn’t use electricity and that is the one that he (Sir John) is talking about. We also have electrical panel that will power this submersible pump. We have a tank, we also have a platform that the tank will be on it, we also have pipes and lines that we put together so that the water that comes out will be able reach certain places where the people cannot walk to fetch the water. So, it is a complete integrated community water system. We even carried out chemical analysis before putting this system into place.
“If you are doing a borehole in your house, whatever comes out of that borehole, it is you alone drinking and using it but if you are going to produce the system for a whole community that is deprived and without good source of drinking water…it will not be an ordinary borehole that we will put in our houses (that would be provided for them). These are boreholes with submersible pump – that is electronic, with pump house. You have to build a pump house because the pump has to be protected; it is not in your home. If it is in your home, nobody is going to steal it.
She added: “This project wasn’t started today, this project was started somewhere in 2007 and we have had incidents where contractors have come and they don’t have the expertise in building this integrated water system. We did sole source because we wanted the right kind of people to do this system and when it is in the community and it breaks down, because the person didn’t do it well, the community will lack water.
“He (Sir John) said we have also inflated figures to give money for the NDC to do campaign. This project is not coming on this year; we just finished the sole-sourcing. Even if we are putting one system in place, do you know how long it will take to complete? So how do we say we have inflated prices to give money to the NDC to do campaign? We are a regulatory institution and nobody should bring us into any political realm. We are an independent regulator and that is what we do.”
Source: classfmonline.com
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why are politicians always mischievous without ascertaining the facts from the appropriate quarters before coming out publicly to secure political points? Dr Bawumia constructed same at relatively the same price or has the politicians become civil engineers and or project analyst. not long ago a political party number and as a matter of fact a suppose "honorable" came to deceive the public the E.C is printing already thumb printed ballot papers whiles the process has not even commenced. whyyyyyyyy dont we deserve some truth as citizens?
The ***barred word*** is everywhere oh. Nana Yaa bear in mind the reigns of government will change one day and everyone will account for their stewardship so stop being used for some people's benefit. I tell you this will be revisited even after 2020.
When did PURC given the mandate to dig boreholes. And if so why sole sourcing? Eh NDC hmmm. God is watching and He will surely redeem his people from these evil nation wreckers who are bend on winning this election to cover their evil deeds. But the God Lord will surely deliver His people as he did to the Isrealites
This lady thinks she is talking to illiterates, madam you should be ashamed of this act and stop defending the un-defendable
ALL THE TRUTH WILL COME OUT IF THERE IS A NEW GOV'T. WE NEED THE NDC TO ACCOUNT TO GHANA AFTER 8 YEARS IN POWER.IF IT HAS TO BE DONE PROPERLY, THEY MUST BE OUT OF POWER.THEY HAVE SUPPRESSED A LOT OF ISSUES. THE TIME FOR RECKONING IS NOW!CHANGE IS A MUST.CHAAAAAAANGE IIIIIIS COMING!
Hmmmm, it's very pathetic,whats going on in this country. We are an NGO,that are currently raising funds to construct a Mechanize Bore Hole for a village we are working in. I am so surprised to hear all these costs, listening to the description by the purc,its the same thing we are trying to construct although I don't know how far they will extend the water to other parts of the villages with taps, but the cost I am hearing now is far far more, oooh, We have a budget of about GHC 15000 to construct a Bore hole with at least a 5000Ltrs tank for storage with platforms etc. Do these people think we are all ***barred word*** in this country?
WHY SOLE SOURCING??? Why give GH 30 million to just one contractor? Look at how korrupt our women too have become. Tweaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Is the mandate of PURC to get into borehole projects? Even if it's within their mandate, which I doubt, why sole-sourcing? Sole-Sourcing is nothing but a vehicle for favoritism, ***barred word*** and corruption period. There's too many outlaws running our country. Everybody does what will help him/her to lot Ghana and ignores their mandates because they know they know they will get away with it. In our conspiratorial collaborative corrupt environment where from the to the bottom, everybody conspires to steal from the government, everybody takes chances because our enabler corrupt incompetent president who will always protect them so long as they're wearing the right political hat. Case in point, NSS saga: Instead of prosecuting them, sending into jail, taking away their assets and fire them, the corrupt Mahamah find it necessary to negotiate with them for payments in their own terms. You've a bunch of government workers and appointees who conspired from the headquarters, regional and district level to create, loot, share and cover-up government money but we're treating them with kids grove because of politics.
PURC EVEN INSTALLED SOLAR SYSTEMS WHICH THEY EVEN FAILED TO PAY THE SOLAR COMPANIES. THEY CANT EVEN TELL THE SOLAR COMPANIES WHEN THEY WILL RECEIVE THEIR MONIES. PURC, PLEASE PAY THE SOLAR COMPANIES, THE PAYMENTS ARE LONG OVERDUE. WE WILL SOON GO TO THE PRESS IF PAYMENTS GO BEYONG THIS WEEK.
Please can some institutions, especially NGOs, who provide communities these boreholes educate us on 1. The types of boreholes normally suitable for Nana Yaa's, "...whole community that is deprived and without good source of drinking water" 2. Normal (average) cost of Nana Yaa's type of boreholes.