Water well in Sanata Complex compound...Former Auditor General questions true ownership

Water well in Sanata Complex compound…Former Auditor General questions true ownership

Sep 07, 2016 News

The former Auditor General of Guyana, Anand Goolsarran said that it “baffles” him how a Guyana Water

Former Auditor General Anand Goolsarran

Incorporated (GWI) well could be sold or given to Dr Bobby Ramroop. This is in light of revelations that Ramroop is the owner of such a well, located in the Sanata Complex compound, and that supplies some 9,000 residents of West Ruimveldt, D’Aguiar Park, Alexander Village and Meadow Bank
Goolsarran further pointed out that there is a need for the public to see the agreement of sale to ascertain whether the well was included in the sale price of the Sanata Complex. He also questioned whether or not the 9,000 residents of West Ruimveldt are paying the new owners for water usage, or if the state entity, GWI, is collecting payment for the water.
He further declared that the well can only be owned by the new owners if it is included in the sale agreement and was an asset in the balance sheet of Sanata Textile Limited. The other question he posed was whether the well was reflected as an asset in the balance sheet of GWI. He stated that if it is so, the well belongs to GWI and could not have been sold in the privatisation of the Sanata Complex. This he noted is because the Sanata Complex is a separate legal entity and so is the GWI.
“You simply cannot take an asset that belongs to GWI and sell as part of the sale of Sanata.”
The former Auditor General stressed for the need of establishing “conclusively” whose well it is.
The controversy surrounding the well issue first came to light when a GWI technical team attempted to conduct inspection of a water connection attached to buildings within the Sanata Complex.
The GWI technicians and Ramroop’s management subsequently had a confrontation. Following the confrontation, the technicians were later asked to stand off and suspend all investigations until further notice by management at the utility company.
After questions by this newspaper to GWI officials, it was later confirmed that the ownership of the well was in question and GWI needed to do investigations.
GWI subsequently issued a statement on August 31, confirming that the well was no longer under its control. According to a statement by the company, the investigations were to ascertain in whose name the well located in the compound of Sanata complex, was registered.
After this was disclosed, it was agreed between Ramroop and the utility company that “GWI will continue to service the well, which also supplies water to residents within its environs.”
This is however highly questionable, as GWI will be servicing what is now a private well with taxpayers’ money.
GWI further said that Ramroop indicated that he had bought the entire complex which included the well, but “inherited the daily checks of the well by GWI”.

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