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Zeelugt residents fearful of electrical fires from squatters’ illegal GPL connections
The shacks set-up by squatters at Fisher dam, Zeelugt
Kaieteur News – Residents of Blood Street, Zeelugt, West Cost Demerara (WCD) are fearful that their houses can be destroyed by electrical fires from illegal Guyana Power and Light (GPL) connections set-up by squatters at Fisher dam.
The residents said that there are some 30 shacks set up by squatters at the dam which borders their street from the others. The illegal structures are not only hindering the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) from using the dam to clean a trench critical to preventing floods in Blood Street when it rains but some of them (reportedly eight) are allegedly stealing electricity from GPL light poles via illegal connection.
On Wednesday, one of the affected residents, 80-year-old, Leslie Debarros visited Kaieteur News with evidence of the illegal connection set up by the squatters. Kaieteur News was shown a photograph of a small black wire connected to one of the GPL light poles in the street.
It was buried along the ground and then strapped to the pole with insulation tape. Debarros claimed the squatters have run the wires in some cases through the backyards of the Blood Street residents. “We have little children”, Debarros said while noting that they could get electrocuted.
However, Debarros said the biggest concern is that these illegal connections can cause devastating electrical fires that could destroy multiple houses at Blood Street. “We got ten house pon one side and 11 on the other side”, Debarros told Kaieteur News while explaining how close the squatters are with their illegal connections to the residents of Blood Street.
The illegal connection set-up by the squatters
He said that he and other residents have complained to GPL asked them to visit Blood Street and see the illegal connections and remove them but one month has passed and the state-owned company is yet to show.
He even contacted the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) but they sent him to the Leonora Police Station to file a report. “Me tell the fire service that y’all could tek blame fuh not getting water when the fire start but is GPL na come hay fuh get rid of the source of the problem”, the resident recalled while complaining to the firefighters.
Debarros complied and filed a report at the Leonora Police Station too but the illegal connections remain intact. “We ga fuh get rid of this thing because if me house bun down is a big lost because me got tenants there too”, Debarros said while adding: “me is 80 and me wife is 74, if a fire start we nah gon able to run out a deh fast”.
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