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Some section of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has mounted a stiff opposition to block the move being made by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) to introduce pre-paid metering system. According to the party, the innovation is a slap in the face of the suffering masses. �This is a policy that will not only favour the rich but also worsen the plight of the average Ghanaian,� noted Carlos Albert Kojo Yeboah, Director of Operations of the Young Democrats, in exclusive interview with The Chronicle. He contends that the timing of the pre-paid metering system was wrong and argued that the priority of the GWCL should be on how to curb the over 40% wastage of treated water on daily basis through illegal connections and damaged facilities and how it could extend water supply to those in the villages. He said the ideals of the NDC frowns on imposing hardships on the poor and urged the government to prevail on the GWCL to immediately halt its plans to pilot the innovative policy. �Such a policy is not in consonance with the social democratic principles that the NDC-led government espouses. A government that is pro-poor should not allow such a policy to be implemented,� he noted. The GWCL last week announced the introduction of pre-paid metering system for water, which would be piloted in some communities as part of measures to correct the physical and commercial losses incurred by the company. The decision has since been backed by the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, the sector ministry that regulates the activities of the GWCL. A statement issued by the sector Minister, Alhaji Collins Dauda, said the GWCL does not intend, at this moment, to supply the same policy to residential and domestic consumers. But the announcement has attracted stiff opposition even before the pilot project takes off, with several civil society organizations, including ISODEC and IMANI, calling for outright dismissal of the proposal, since the innovation would only favour the rich and worsen the plight of the poor. The pro-NDC pressure group, Young Democrats, since the announcement of the introduction of the pre-paid metering system, has also added its voice to calls for the Ministry and the GWCL to rescind their decision. A statement issued and signed by its Deputy General Secretary, Langani Goodman, described the policy as one which will favour the rich at the expense of the poor. It, therefore, advised the GWCL to concentrate more in addressing the huge volumes of water it loses on daily basis, through illegal activities, as well as to extend their services to those in need of water, since the commodity is a basic necessity of life. Mr. Goodman, also in an exclusive interview with The Chronicle, demanded from the GWCL the report of its first piloted policy of such innovation, which took place in 2004 in Tema, and why there was no nationwide implementation of such policy. He said his group was of the firm belief that �there is a ploy to make this Government unpopular with this policy and also an agenda by certain personalities to benefit from contracts for the supply of these pre-paid meters.� Determined to halt the pilot project, Mr. Goodman pleaded with President John Dramani Mahama, to intervene and stop the policy from being implemented, since its introduction will go against the NDC in the next general elections.