23 August 2013, Monrovia – The restoration of electricity to Gbarnga City, Bong County seems not to be far away as the testing of street lights has begun. Our Bong County correspondent, who toured the streets of Gbarnga confirms that the lights are effective in some streets, but noted that most of the bulbs are damaged and need replacement.
The test transmission of power to the city is being done by Geontia Inc.- a private company. Maintenance of power source has been a controversial issue for over a year now with authorities of the county expressing lack of capacity to keep the lights on.
our correspondent also gathered a formal contract has been signed with Geontia Incorporated, costing more than US$135,000 to provide electricity to Gbarnga and its environs for a period of five years. Sources in the county said part of the agreement include planting 100 light poles in the city, including installation of additional nine transformers to boost the electricity.
Bong County purchased two generators in 2009 when it hosted the July 26 celebration, but the county’s leadership has been unable to maintain constant supply of power after the independence celebration.
Although Bong County administration has always argued that the cost of running the generators was too high, but some lawmakers, including former Deputy Speaker Tokpah Mulbah have vowed that there will be no light in Gbarnga if county authorities cannot ensure lights are in every district headquarters.
Amidst this argument and the huge cost of running the generators, county authorities said they were privatizing power as a way of giving the city consistent and dependable electricity. Some citizens of the county noted that there increased criminal activities in the city due to the lack of electricity, describing the situation as threat to public security.
– The New Dawn