Two of the three utility companies have reported a marked decline in the amount of vandalism they have suffered over the last couple months in the face of a more proactive approach by government in dealing with the problem.
And the scrap metal dealers in the meantime are still being allowed to continue their trade and have until next month to meet the requirements for licences to operate and subsequently to export scrap. They had previously been banned from exporting effective January 1st this year.
President of the Guyana Scrap Metal Dealers Association (GSMDA) Percy Cole in a comment to this newspaper on Monday said that most of the dealers were still being allowed to ship but from next month they will have to “pull their socks up” and ensure that they meet all requirements or they may not be able to acquire licences.
However, according to him, everything was under control and he noted, too, that the association was trying its utmost to keep vandalism down.
“We have been imploring upon the members of our association to abide by the laws and we are also doing our best to ensure that we bring more and more persons in the trade on board to do the right things,” Cole explained.
He said, however, that with the amendments to the legislation made earlier this year, dealers would have to meet requirements which include having a building to operate and having a name for the operation is also an asset.
Meanwhile, speaking with this newspaper on Monday Security Manager of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) Edgar Blackman said that the company has witnessed, from November last year to date, a marked decline in vandalism of its cables.
He noted however that work was still ongoing as it continued policing the trouble areas with assistance from the Guyana Police Force.
The Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) has also assessed its situation in a similar way. Public Relations Officer Timothy Austin said the company had not received any reports of vandalism of its property at any of its locations for quite some time.
Austin said, however, like GT&T they are remaining vigilant for determined offenders.
However the situation has been quite different for the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) which suffered the theft of wires just last week from its Sophia location.
Chief Executive Officer Bharrat Dindial when contacted on Monday told Stabroek News that GPL had suffered major losses, but the police have not yet concluded investigations in this regard.
He said the company had conducted day and night raids in that community where people were suspected of electricity theft.
Dindial said the raids were aimed too at recovering idle service wires from customers who have had their electricity disconnected and meters taken away.
“So once we had taken away those wires we knew that people would become desperate and so we’re not sure that the lost wires will go to assist in these illegal connections or whether they would end up in the hands of the scrap metal people,” he added.
Dindial said vandalism was still an issue for the power company.
“But I don’t think that it is plaguing us as much as it did last year,” he asserted.
However, he said, the company remained vigilant since according to him “there is that ever present threat.”
The power company head said that despite the stance taken by the government on the issue there were still a number of persons still involved in vandalism.
On January 11 a bill to amend the Act which governs the scrap metal trade, the Old Metals Act, gave sweeping powers to the Prime Minister to halt the export of the commodity if deemed necessary.
His justification as he tabled the amendment was because of the continuing vandalism which plagued the three utility companies.
The amendments empower the Prime Minister to prohibit all old metal from being shipped or otherwise exported from Guyana for a specified period not exceeding one year if he considers it necessary in the interest of preventing or curbing any illegal activity. Additionally the bill imposes an immediate increase in fines for any dealer who breaches the rules governing the trade. A first offence will require offenders to pay a fine of not less than $20,000 and not exceeding $100,000 and imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months. For every subsequent offence, the bill now mandates a fine of not less than $100,000 and not exceeding $1M and imprisonment for a term not exceeding a year.
The bill also now allows the minister to make regulations subject to negative resolution by the National Assembly for increasing or reducing the annual registration fee for dealers.
Hinds said the decision by government was taken following months of admonishing scrap metal dealers to put themselves in order and to help curb vandalism.
Other regulations governing the trade which the minister has been given the right to make should be laid in the National Assembly shortly.
