By Fareeza Haniff
[www.inewsguyana.com] – Prime Minister Samuel Hinds has expressed his frustration with the losses that the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc has incurred as a result of wide spread electricity theft in the country.
During a presentation to the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources on issues related to the Guyana Energy Agency and GPL, the Prime Minister said that “Losses is the area of my big embarrassment with our electricity supply system.”
He noted that the country’s highest area of electricity losses is in South Ruimveldt, Tucville, North Ruimveldt, West Ruimveldt, GuyHoc Park and Roxanne Burnham Gardens among other areas.
PM Hinds told the Committee that these areas have a loss of some 60 percent and called on GPL to heighten its focus in this regard. He said it reflects badly on the entire nation.
“We must look to the Board, Management and workers of GPL to take note of this area of poor performance, but also it is something that reflects badly on our whole nation and I think I’ve said before, why can’t we be better than the Barbadians in the area of electricity losses? Why can’t we be down to seven percent?” the Prime Minister questioned.
Prime Minister Hinds believes that the commercial losses are a reflection of the integrity of the people of Guyana, while the technical losses are a reflection of government’s ability to make the investments to minimize the loss of electricity in its transmission.
“There are indications that a small number of persons in GPL, five percent of persons, persons who have been in the service of GPL and know their way around and a number of consumers at various levels and sizes have been involved over the years and still involved in the losses figure we see here.”
Additionally, Chief Executive Officer of GPL Bharat Dindyal told the Committee that there is a division within GPL, which focuses mainly on the issue of electricity theft. This division has 72 persons.
