Latest update April 15th, 2026 12:05 AM
GPL’s officials should be blaming themselves
Dear Editor,
It’s regrettable to see GPL officials going after consumers they deem guilty of electricity theft and planning to go the extra mile to scare people from continuing this unscrupulous act that has proven to be costly, and at some times deadly, and they are not going after their employees who are the main culprits.
I don’t know who they are trying to fool, but we all know that consumers cannot tamper or bypass any of the new meters that they have been installing with the security feature (seal) that they introduced a few years ago.
Almost all of the meters have seals, and the new pre-paid meters are installed with seals also, high up on posts, which is beyond access to a consumer. So how could they be charged?
As in my previous letters on electricity theft, I am saying that whenever a meter is installed, checked or being replaced, the staff put on the security seal and sign a form. Now if GPL made so many successful raids, then they should check the record for that meter and charge the person that installed the seal.
A consumer cannot know what is going on inside a meter after it has been sealed, so why charge them alone when GPL employees alone handle the meter?
On Monday I saw GPL also complaining of illegal street light connections. Everyone wants the area around them bright, so why give only ten (10) lights to an area which has more than 20 streets. All the street lights work with sensors and when GPL are called to repair them, the faults lies in the sensors mainly, and the technicians usually bypass the sensors thus causing them to burn through the day, thus serving no purpose during that period and also wasting money.
GPL should really talk to their suppliers to get lights with quality sensors instead of bringing some inferior lights with sensors not worth giving away. The majority of street lights are on throughout the day and if they were not on, I am quite sure that at least half of the $18 million they are losing will be saved.
Instead of blaming consumers, the GPL’s officials should be blaming themselves, because it’s their incompetence causing corruption and wasteful loss. If they had reviewed the performances of the lights all the time they would have known they are faulty and causing unnecessary expense.
Sahadeo Bates
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