PPL workers harassed

PNG Power Limited (PPL) officers were harassed by drunk men at Gerehu Stage Four in Port Moresby when they went to fix a faulty equipment on Feb 9, an official says.
Acting chief executive officer Edward Oa said the attack on the officers was unnecessary and dangerous as three of them were working up on the power poles.
“The attackers also tried to remove the ladder while one of the officers was standing on it,” he said.
“If the ladder and the technical officer were not secured with safety straps, the officer could have fallen off and sustained serious injuries.
“The experience was traumatising and very distressing.”
As a result, part of Gerehu Stage Four was without power from Feb 9 to Monday.
“The other main reason for the prolonged outage was the reluctance of the community to hand over the suspects or even provide their names,” Oa said.
“The names were only obtained after police were engaged.”
He said PPL had a responsibility to provide safe and reliable power supply, and required support and protection from customers and the public.
“There is no winner in situations of prolonged outages,” Oa said.
“The customers suffer which is undeniable.
“But PPL also suffers.
“A lot of investment was made by PPL to put up the infrastructure and PPL expects continuous revenue to pay off the investment and expand or extend services to new customers.” He warned the public that the power utility would not hesitate to repeat what it did if its officers were threatened, harassed or harmed again.