With an increasing number of complaints made by consumers to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), the agency is looking to improve its capacity to effectively investigate all matters.
During a press engagement on Friday at the commission’s New Garden Street office, Chair of the PUC Dela Britton revealed that the body is currently working with the University of Guyana and technical institutes to recruit interns. She said that with this in place, the commission will be able to effectively investigate complaints that are of a technical nature.
The PUC Chair observed that the PUC of the future requires persons who have technical skills in different areas. On that note, she said, they have also expanded the requirements for persons seeking employment at the commission.
“We really and truly are hoping to get that moving by the end of next month in terms of finishing the negotiations for the schools and then we can start to really recruit interns for the different areas and sectors,” Britton said, as she pointed out that these persons will be dispatched across the country to investigate complaints.
The PUC Chair noted that in cases where persons report poor quality water coming through their taps, the commission is unable to fully investigate as they are not equipped with the human resources who have that technical skill set. She observed that in such cases, the commission requires substantial evidence before taking it to the company. Nonetheless, Britton said her agency have been monitoring cases on reports made to the commission.
“…We are presently without water engineers and [Guyana Water Inc] is required to submit to us reports as it relates to the quality of the water they give as a part of their obligations set by the national and international organisations,” she said, before revealing that the PUC is challenged when it comes to monitoring the quality of water delivered to consumers.
“…We will need proper investigatory and proper data before we can really and truly approach the water authority,” she added.
‘Complaints’
Additionally, Complaints Manager Destra Bourne said that of the 715 complaints the commission received for 2019, 86 were complaints lodged against GWI. These complaints include the quality of water produced and the length of time a customer has to wait for a connection and hearing from the company after an application is made.
Meanwhile, 362 complaints were made against the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company, 262 against the Guyana Power and Light, and four against Digicel.
Britton assured that all of the complaints are being investigated and addressed.
Each complaint, Bourne said, is deemed to be important and they have been working to try to resolve those issues in the shortest possible time.
Britton further related that given the amount of complaints they have received, the PUC has been working to expand and decentralise their services.
On Monday, their newest office will be opened at V’s Mall in Anna Regina at 7E Henrietta Road, Essequibo Coast. She said that over the years, the commission has been receiving complaints from persons on the Essequibo Coast, and a decision was made to expand their services there. The head of the commission said that while they do not receive an alarming amount of complaints, she thinks the residents there needs to have access to the service.
“We have only received for the year 2019 four complaints for Essequibo and those four complaints is not indicative of the fact that there are no complaints or its utopia in Essequibo; it means that people cannot access our services,” she said.
Other than Georgetown, the PUC has set up offices in Port Mourant, Berbice and Linden.
