Tuesday , 19 March 2024
enfrit

Andohan’Ilakaka: living in the dark for 2 months now

The small town of Ilakaka, located in the Commune of Ranohira, Region of Ihorombe has been living without electricity since the end of 2012. Being not connected to the JIRAMA network, the town of Ilakaka is supplied with electricity by a private company. After waiting for 2 months, the population has finally lost patience and started to express their grief on the street. The latter mostly complained about the company’s poor service and prohibitive price, and demanded that the company withdraws from supplying electricity to the town, that it will be substituted by the JIRAMA.

More than 20 000 people are hit by the problem of electricity in the small town of Ilakaka as well as its surrounding localities. Tsivoaizany Jeannot, a resident of Ilakaka, complained that “the private company charges the population for fixed costs in addition to administrative taxes. However, the money from the taxes is never paid into the Commune of Ranohira’s account.” Complaining about the prohibitive price charged by the company, Vola Delphine, another resident of Ilakaka, stated that, “a household using only one TV set and one light bulb for lighting has to pay 60 000 Ariary minimum, and those having more than 2 electrical appliances have to pay up to 120 000 Ariary per month.”

Feeling ignored by the local and regional authority, the population of Ilakaka and the surrounding community decided to expose their grief to the main authority in Antananarivo. Thus, a strong delegation composed of 4 Chief of Fokontany and other notable individuals from the region has come in the capital to seek for solution to their problem. According to one member of the delegation, they plan to meet with the Minister of Energy as well as with some high officials within the JIRAMA.