GPL launches investigation into employees taking brides

Nov 28, 2008 News

“We will prosecute even if it’s our own” – Dindyal

Several residents of Port Mourant are complaining of being fleeced by employees of the Guyana Power and Light Company.

According to residents, currently there in an ongoing campaign where GPL workers are inspecting their homes.

Some residents say following the inspection the GPL workers would ask to inspect their meter and only then they are told that their meter has been tampered with.

“We meter deh good all de time; I know we never trouble it but when dem people come dem tell me that de seal break,” one resident claimed.

Residents said they are then told that they could face possible prosecution and even have their meter taken away if the matter is reported.

Some say fearing that they would be prosecuted and have their meter taken away, they are forced to hand over large sums of money to the GLP employees, who in turn promise not to report the matter.

However, the racket only came to light recently when residents began telling each other of their encounter with the three GPL employees who are fleecing the residents.

One resident said he refused to pay the money to the men and they left and never returned to take away his meter.

As such, two residents came together, one of whom had actually handed over money and another who had refused to, and they went to the Williamsburg GPL office. The residents said they reported the matter to a senior manager but got no satisfaction.

“We give the names of the people who doing this thing and is like de manager does get a draw back because he aint doing nothing and this thing continuing,” one resident claimed.

Meanwhile, when contacted Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Power and Light, Bharrat Dindyal said that the matter will be investigated.

According to Dindyal, a senior officer has recently been sent to the Berbice area to carry out some investigation as it relates to other complaints.

He said the complaints include persons caught stealing electricity and when they are caught they bride GPL employees so they won’t be reported, and they continue stealing electricity.

According to Dindyal, now that this matter has been brought to the company’s attention, the officer will be told to investigate.

He, however, noted that recently they have been faced with a number of these cases and they have managed to prosecute the persons found stealing the electricity. He added that some employees too have been prosecuted for taking bribes from consumers.

According to Dindyal, as recent as Thursday an employee at Vreed-en-Hoop was taken to the police station and locked up for demanding money from a consumer.

“We take these issues very seriously and we will continue to prosecute whether its consumers or our own employees,” the CEO said. He said charges are likely to be laid shortly.

In the meantime, residents are urged to reports incidents where they are met by GPL employees who are demanding money from them for no reason.

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