HPUC HOLDS FRUITFUL DISCUSSION WITH SESB SANDAKAN

SESB’s Hj. Mohd. Rahim Hj. Rahman meeting with HPUC’s Said Rasul, Bryan Chang & Taren Sunil

SANDAKAN:  The Highway and Public Utilities Committee (HPUC) recently visited the Consumers Service Department of Sabah Electricity Sdn. Bhd (SESB) in Sandakan to get a clearer picture of problems faced by both the consumers as well as SESB.

“While we hear of many complaints from consumers, we must also get the facts from SESB on the problems faced by them. There are always two sides to a story,” said HPUC chairman Taren Sunil Manoharan.

“Although our meeting was to discuss various issues affecting consumers, we also took into account the challenges encountered by SESB,” Taren Sunil affirmed.

They also asked about the procedures to apply for new electricity meters and hoped SESB could simplify such procedures for the sake of consumers.

Hj. Mohd. Rahim Hj. Rahman, the Consumer Service Executive at SESB Sandakan, assured them that SESB is doing their best to implement the State Government’s “Halatuju” to ensure that SESB becomes a highly reliable supplier of electricity.

“We are taking pro-active steps to ensure availability of electricity supply even under emergency situations. We are addressing shortcomings and weaknesses in the system and moving up to employ rapid system improvement projects,” said Hj. Mohd. Rahim Hj. Rahman.

Meanwhile work is ongoing to rectify all slanting electrical posts around Sandakan district.

“Among other problems faced by SESB is that of illegal connections. There are people who recklessly connect cables to steal electricity from SESB’s main power lines. Their actions not only endanger themselves but could cause short-circuits and blackouts,” said Taren Sunil.

To stop this never-ending problem of illegal connections, SESB wanted other agencies like the District Office and Sandakan Municipal Council to enforce their respective policies such as the demolition of illegal squatter colonies.

“We were also informed that SESB has intensified strict checks on business and manufacturing establishments to deter tampering of meters,” said Taren Sunil.The HPUC members later described their visit to SESB as very fruitful and informative.