GPL IS MAKING A BIG MISTAKE

Nov 16, 2010 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

What happens when the amnesty runs out? Is the Guyana Power and Light going to hound those Guyanese whom it discovers have either tampered with their meters or are otherwise engaged in electricity theft?
This week Guyana Power and Light announced an amnesty for those stealing electricity. All the errant consumer has to do is to go into the GPL and indicate their transgression and the GPL will wipe the slate clean.
Those who confess will face no sanction but will be attached to the national grid and will pay electricity tariffs just like everyone else.
Or so the Guyana Power and Lights feels. Dog who eat bone cannot stop.
Those who engage in the theft of electricity will not necessarily stop; in fact, they might continue because they will feel that since GPL offered the amnesty, then the power company does not have the means to go after defaulters.
The greatest electricity theft in Guyana is believed to be from among those who have previously been disconnected from the grid and who opt, instead of regularising their service, to steal electricity.
This should have been the first group targeted by the power watchers from the GPL. They should have a list of all those who have been disconnected and then do survey of how many of those are still illegally connected to the grid.
The GPL would most likely find that there is a high percentage of repeat offenders.
The problem with the law is that it allows defaulters three strikes before they can be permanently disconnected from the grid and therefore defaulters are going to take their chances more especially since they have been able to get away with their indiscretions in the past.
What is required is not for GPL to be running after consumers seeking to detect theft. GPL has it own problems, which prevent it from being effective, not the least of which is fair degree of corruption within the system.
Many of those who steal electricity are believed to be succeeding because of either support from GPL staff or because of meter readers who turn a blind eye. Thus GPL has its problems when it comes to policing its network.
Just take a survey of road lights in the city and the gravity of the problem will strike you. Many road lights are not working and of those that are there are some very interesting developments. All it will take is a drive around the city on any evening to discover what is taking place with many of these lamps. There seems to be pattern in which many of these road lights which are in the vicinity of businesses are working and many of the non-working ones are located away from business places. Now this is a very strange coincidence indeed.
But it gets more interesting. There are cases, and these are easy to find, whereby some road lights instead of illuminating the roadways are in fact so positioned as to provide lights for private residences and businesses; that is, they face away from the road.
So GPL therefore needs to get its house in order before it announces any amnesty. An amnesty only works if there is an expectation that strong enforcement is going to follow and GPL cannot convince anyone that it has the capability to do this.
There is widespread stealing of electricity in squatting areas in Guyana. Yet the GPL cannot bring an end to this practice, nor can it impress upon the authorities the need to pass a law insisting that no person squatting should enjoy electricity.
The most ridiculous outcome will result from this amnesty, which will be granted. Those who are squatting simply have to go into the GPL and inform them that they used to steal electricity.
Since there is an amnesty, GPL cannot charge these individuals. Instead GPL will have to now provide a service to these persons.
So whether or not you were receiving electricity, once you claim that you were stealing, GPL will have to come and connect you to the national grid.
GPL is making a huge mistake with this amnesty. It will not help the situation. In fact it is predicted that the amnesty will not be taken up by many persons who are part of the formal grid but who are stealing, for why would anyone wish to confess when there is a poor chance of detection?
Instead of offering an amnesty, they should have been offering rewards for information on electricity theft. Now that is something that would bring results!

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GPL IS MAKING A BIG MISTAKE

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