Residents of Bush Lot and Bath Settlement, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) have lauded the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated’s (GPL) decision to verify metering issues by making checks at each house in the villages.
Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Samaroo Ramtahal pledged to conduct the exercise in both communities following Tuesday’s outreach there after residents raised concerns about fluctuating bills and possible meter inaccuracies.
“We will have our team to go house to house to reach out to customers directly and if they do express that they have problems with the meters then we will have people on the ground to test meters at the same time.”
Mr. Ramtahal said this exercise would be conducted within two weeks and will be done to ensure all customers are treated fairly, so that cases where meters may have given higher or inaccurate readings can be rectified.
Speaking with DPI, resident Mr. Mahendra Persaud said, “I think it is a good initiative because in this community, we really need something like that.”
He also said GPL’s commitment to execute the initiative indicates the value the power company places on customer service. Mr. Persaud added that he anticipates the exercise would bring significant relief to residents who may have legitimate claims.
For Mr. Krishna Seelall, a councillor attached to the Neighbourhood Democratic Council responsible for Bath Settlement, the development represents an important step forward, following a recent outreach by Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Hon. Deodat Indar.
“I think this is very important… If we have a team from GPL to come out house to house, and a case by case, you know to meet with residents and to document their case, I think that would be a good gesture,” Mr. Seelall said.
Mr. Amar Bindra expressed similar sentiments. He relayed that, “visiting each house will get more communication with people and see what they have and how they are consuming electricity.”
Last year, GPL embarked on a project through its Public Utility Upgrade Programme (PUUP) to enhance its infrastructure in the said communities.
GPL’s Social Management Coordinator attached to PUUP, Ms. Chitra Singh said the project sought to “replace the aged infrastructure in these communities, that is they replaced the old network with new wallaba poles, new conductors, new transformers. They added a distribution box and of course they went house to house to change the customers post-paid meters.” Ms. Singh underscored that the project intends to enhance the quality of service and reduce voltage fluctuations.
