Residents on the Essequibo Coast (Region Two) from Charity to Zorg en Vlygt are up in arms against the treatment being meted out to them by the Guyana Power & Light Inc. Reports are that the Wartsila generator plants at Anna Regina are currently down as a result of mechanical problems.
President of the Essequibo Chambers of Commerce, Deleep Singh, expressing dissatisfaction at the Guyana Power and Light Inc, has revealed that businesses are counting thousands of dollars in losses, since a number of items have been spoilt as a result of the prolonged power outages.
Even more frustrating for residents is the fact that the Guyana Power and Light has not informed residents of what has led to the outages. According to Singh, this has served as a huge inconvenience for those who are in the poultry business, and they have complained of having to purchase extra ice to preserve their plucked chicken. He said other residents in the region have suffered major blows to their livelihood, and the region’s economy is suffering due to the constant power outage.
Residents, particularly from Queenstown, Affiance, Anna Regina, Walton Hall and Charity to the extreme south, are significantly affected, and complain that power outages have been a prevalent occurrence for over a month.
“Every other day we experiencing hours of power outages, no one in authority saying anything” a resident said.
Businesses such as salons, small shop owners, radio lovers, tailors, restaurant owners, and fishermen living in those areas are complaining bitterly, since their trade is affected. In 2016, the power plant located in Anna Regina burst into flames and resulted in several pieces of machinery being damaged. Officers from the Anna Regina Fire Station had to render their services to assist in saving some of the plant’s machinery.
Many businessmen and gas station owners have spoken out against the constant episodes of blackout being experienced in the region, and have said they are of the view that the GPL should at least run a schedule or inform them when electricity will be supplied.
It can be recalled that the region’s Independence flag-raising ceremony was disrupted twice by power outages in May this year.
Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) Chairman Daveanand Ramdatt has since bemoaned the unacceptable service of the company that Essequibians are forced to live with. Ramdatt deemed GPL’s shortcomings unacceptable, and said he cannot understand why, even as Guyana celebrates 51 years of Independence, there is an unreliable power supply, despite the country’s vast natural resources.
The Chairman alluded to the fact that Region Two has been experiencing severe power outages, and several complaints made to the company have fallen on deaf ears.
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