HGP Nightly News – Guyana Power and Light has had enough. Contractors and members of the public who damage GPL infrastructure are now facing a stark new reality, legal action. The company has hardened its stance, strengthened its partnership with the Guyana Police Force and made clear that the days of knocking down power poles and walking away without consequence are firmly over.
The warning came from GPL’s head of executive management, Kesh Nandlall, during a recent Public Utilities Commission hearing where the scale of the problem was laid out in uncomfortable detail. “We have a team of guys that are working very closely with the police,” Nandlall told commissioners.
“When we have these incidents, we act immediately, there was a lot of charges being meted out to these contractors.” The message was unambiguous: GPL is no longer content to simply repair the damage and move on. It is going after those responsible. The frustration driving that shift is entirely understandable. Guyana’s construction and road works boom, while a sign of the nation’s rapid development, has come with a damaging side effect, a significant and worsening spike in damage to utility infrastructure.
Divisional Director for Load Reduction Persram Peraud confirmed that the past few months have brought a noticeable surge in incidents, with the rising volume of construction activity across the country translating directly into more frequent power outages for communities that are already stretched thin when it comes to reliable electricity supply. “In the last few months, it’s a significant increase,” he said plainly.
PUC Chairman Dr. Nanda Gopaul made clear that he has run out of patience with the current state of affairs, and he did not mince his words. “When you drive around and see posts knocked down at corners, one wonders whether people are driving war tanks on the road,” he said, referencing areas like LBI where damaged poles have become an almost routine sight.
His message to those responsible was equally direct: the financial burden of repairing this damage belongs to the people who caused it, not to GPL and certainly not to the consumers whose bills ultimately foot the bill. “Has there been any attempt to penalise these contractors, bring them before the courts and make them pay fines?” he challenged, pointing out that contractors carry insurance precisely for situations like this and that those policies should be put to use.
The problem, officials noted, is made worse by a simple and inexcusable failure on the part of many contractors, they are not bothering to notify GPL before conducting works near power lines, despite this being a clear requirement. When that notification does not happen and damage occurs, the matter goes straight to the police.
Beyond the immediate power disruptions, Gopaul highlighted that the consequences ripple outward, severed telephone lines, prolonged service outages and cascading disruption to entire communities that can ill afford it. GPL’s position is now clear. Assess the damage, pursue the cost, and where cooperation is not forthcoming, let the courts handle it.
For contractors operating across Guyana’s rapidly expanding construction landscape, the warning could not be simpler, notify GPL before you work near power lines, or face the consequences of what happens when you do not.
