GPL restores power to City Council day care, nursery school
--awaits court ruling
Kaieteur News
December 10, 2006
The Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Company has restored electricity to the City Council's South Road Day Care and Nursery School, even though the Council has failed to make any payment on its exorbitant electricity debt.
According to GPL's Kesh Nandlall, the company restored power to the Council-controlled entities since it took consideration of the welfare of the children cared for there.
The decision came during discussions between the two entities recently, where efforts were made to compare figures of the outstanding debts.
In its defence, the City Council had also revealed that the power company had inherited more than $400M in tax debt from its predecessors.
City Council had hoped that the arrears inherited by GPL would have served as a means of settling the debt it owes.
But according to the GPL's Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Bharat Dindyal, evidence was provided to the Council officials that his company's rates and taxes payment were up-to-date.
Dindyal said that while an understanding was derived between the entities during the discussion, the Council subsequently served GPL with a writ for the payment of the allegedly owed taxes.
“It seems as though we made an agreement with one side and then another side does something else…” the CEO opined.
Dindyal said that there is nothing further that the company could do at the moment and will await the ruling of the court on the matter.
The power company, on November 21 last, commenced disconnection of several of the municipal locations including City Hall, the Bourda Constabulary Outpost, the Constabulary Training Complex, the South Road Day Care Centre and the abattoir in Kingston.
The City Council debt amounts to $243M of which, according to City Mayor Hamilton Green, $201M accounts for street lighting alone.
Dindyal said that in order for GPL to provide electricity in an efficient manner, it must also be able to collect revenue to offset its expenses.