A Herstelling, East Bank Demerara (EBD) man is accusing the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) disconnection crew of fraud by extorting monies after threatening to disconnect the water supply when visiting homes.
Jaichan Jaikaran, a resident of Herstelling, told <<<<Inews>>> on Wednesday that he was visited by two GWI staffers on Tuesday, who presented a list to him claiming that they were there to disconnect his water supply since he is $5000 in arrears.
Jaikaran claimed that he received a GWI bill on Monday last, which showed that the outstanding balance was $650. The man explained that he showed the two staff the bill, but they insisted that he was on the disconnection list. He noted that he then told the men that he will go right away to make the payment, but he was told that because he is already on the list they will disconnect him. He said the men then suggested that he gives them a part of the reconnection fee.
To avoid any altercation with the two men – one of whom he knows – Jaikaran stated that he gave them the money. He said he went to the GWI office in the area to make the payments.
According to Jaikaran, he went to a query clerk to get the balance on his bill only to be told that it was $650. He said that the clerk further informed that his address was not on the disconnection list. He said he then explained what had happened but the clerk insisted that he was not on the disconnection list.
“One of them is a regular, which does come to read the water meter. Sometimes he does drop the bill but the other one had a key which the employee does normally get,” the man told <<<<Inew>>>.
“I explained to her that these two fellas came and what they did and she check the disconnection list and we weren’t on the list so they had their own list,” he added.
When this publication contracted GWI’s Peter’s Hall office, Head of Concerns, Rhonda Nurse explained that a disconnection campaign is ongoing for persons but consumers are required to make payments at their offices and not to employees.
When the issue of Jaikaran was raised with her, she said she responded that, “You have to visit the office. If they decide to give the staff them money on the road, that’s up to them. We don’t allow customers to pay individuals or staff on the road.”
She, however, did not address the issue of the fake disconnection list.
