Punitive measures for utility damage during construction should cover properties of private citizens – Mahipaul

Jul 04, 2026 News

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(Kaieteur News) – The announcement by Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation, Deodat Indar that the government will introduce contractual measures to reduce damage to public utilities and infrastructure caused by contractors, has prompted a call for similar protections to be extended to the property of private citizens.

In an invited comment to Kaieteur News, APNU parliamentarian, Ganesh Mahipaul welcomed the decision to hold contractors accountable for damage to public utilities during the execution of infrastructure projects.  However, he lamented that accountability must not end with public infrastructure.

He asserted that “The same urgency and commitment must be extended to protecting the private property of ordinary Guyanese.”

According to Mahipaul, across the country, there are numerous instances where contractors engaged on government projects have caused significant damage to homes, fences, drains, yards and other private property.

He said however, that because of lengthy bureaucratic procedures, poor, vulnerable and ordinary citizens are often left to bear the financial and emotional burden while they wait months, and in some cases years, for justice.

“If contractors can be held accountable for damaging public utilities, then they must also face real consequences for damaging the property of private citizens. There should be a simple, transparent and time-bound mechanism through which affected residents can report damages, have their claims assessed promptly, and receive fair compensation without being forced into endless bureaucratic delays.”

“One case that immediately comes to mind is that of an ordinary family at Goed Fortuin, West Bank Demerara. Their home has reportedly suffered damage as a result of the construction of the Goed Fortuin Pump Station, a project that has now been ongoing for close to four years. Despite their repeated appeals, the family is still crying out for justice. Their experience is unfortunately not an isolated one,” Mahipaul shared.

He emphasised that development should improve the lives of citizens, not leave them worse off.

“While roads, bridges, sea defences and drainage infrastructure are important, so too is the protection of the homes and livelihoods of the very people these projects are intended to serve.

The parliamentarian therefore urged the government to expand these proposed punitive measures so that they also protect private citizens.

“Contractors must be held fully accountable for the damage they cause, and ordinary Guyanese must have access to a fair, efficient and accessible system that delivers justice without unnecessary delay. Protecting public infrastructure is important, but protecting the rights and property of our people is equally important,” he stressed.

Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation, Deodat Indar recently said the Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation has begun implementing punitive measures to reduce damage to public utilities caused by construction activity and traffic accidents.

The minister explained that the volume of ongoing projects means that contractors, heavy-duty equipment, and utility infrastructure are often operating in close proximity.

He estimated that 99 per cent of power outages not attributed to scheduled or publicly announced maintenance are caused by external factors, including excavation work, vehicles striking utility poles and cranes coming into contact with power lines.

Thus, he said the government is incorporating penalties into contracts, requiring contractors to take greater responsibility when working near public utilities.

“We are going to put it in the contracts, punitive measures. You have to take care when you are using equipment next to utilities that affects everybody else,” he said.

Alongside the new contractual requirements, the ministry has also pursued legal action against those responsible for damaging public infrastructure.

Minister Indar recalled one incident in which a crane operator triggered a nationwide disruption after operating too close to transmission infrastructure.

The outage, he said, caused repeated failures while engineers attempted to restore the system and resulted in extensive damage to electrical equipment at Garden of Eden.

‘We charged them $30 million for the damage. We are taking them to court,” he said.

In another case, a contractor was charged $8 million after damaging utility infrastructure in a backlands area.

The minister stressed that these actions have contributed to a reduction in incidents.

He said the government intends to strengthen accountability by ensuring contractors bear the financial cost of the damage they cause.

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• APNU, construction damage, private citizens, utility damage

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