The Legal Affairs Officer of the National Power Authority (NPA) says the corporation will sue the Senegalese construction company, CSE, for damage done to electricity power lines at the Fourah Bay College and Leicester communities.
Tamba Kellie told Politico that NPA had put together an estimated cost of restoring light to the affected communities and had presented it to CSE for their consideration. He threatened that they would drag the company to court if they failed to honour their request soon.
On their part, CSE has denied knowledge of NPA’s claim. The company's Deputy Project Manager, Steven John told Politico that they had a budget for the restoration of electricity and water at FBC and Leicester, adding that they had been trying to contact NPA so that they could make the funds available but they had not been successful.
A fortnight ago, Alfred Momodu who is the Chief Engineer of the Maintenance Department of the Sierra Leone Roads Authority who supervises the project, told Politico that they contacted the two utility companies, especially the Guma Valley Water Company before they embarked on the road maintenance at Kortright but that they didn’t cooperate with them. He said however that they were in constant consultations with all the major players, including NPA and the FBC authorities to find an amicable solution to the issue.
Fourah Bay College with staff and students numbering over 3,000 and the whole of Leicester community have been going without water and light for the past two months. The disruption of those basic utilities was as a result of a road reconstruction work on the “Rue De La Paix” which stretches from the US Embassy at Southridge to Kortright and FBC. It is funded by the European Union.
According to the FBC Estate Office, a total of 108 homes and public facilities are without water supply while 54 staff quarters, three schools and the college workshop are without electricity supply.
The Academic Staff Association of FBC had earlier written a letter to the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Fourah Bay College in protest at the situation. ASA-FBC noted that while they appreciated the construction of the road leading to Kortright from the Leicester community, they were however “aggrieved by the apparent lack of concern” for their welfare.
The association further pointed out that such “deprivation and suffering” had the potential to degenerate further and disrupt fruitful college activities. They say it had become a burden on staff of the college “to fuel private generators in homes and drive to Freetown to fetch water on a daily basis”.
© Politico 13/06/13
