Dear Editor,
On the 3rd February, 2022 you published our letter titled `Hadfield Street residents are suffering from thick smoke and noise spewed from GTT’s generators’ and conducted a follow up on the 04th February, 2022. That article marked a seven-month grievance between the residents of Hadfield Street, the EPA and GTT which started in August 2021. As we pen this letter, we are again suffering at the hands of GTT’s faulty generators which have been operating each day from Saturday 7th October, 2023 between the hours of 5pm to 10pm, some days longer. Noteworthy, there were no blackouts during the reported nights when the generators were operating.
It is difficult to contain our frustration as to why after a year of silence from GTT’s generators we are again being abused. Fear is also a part of this equation since we are all left to wonder how long until this situation is again rectified. However, there are a few things that seem to be clear; first GTT does not respect the residents of Hadfield Street, the laws enforced by the EPA and by extension those which govern our great country otherwise why would this situation emerge yet again and span an entire week without being rectified by GTT’s management team. Second, GTT is quite knowledgeable of how noisy their generators can be and the harmful smoke it spews otherwise why would the company schedule these practices when their managers are in the comfort of their homes and the staff of the National AIDS Programme Secretariat as well as those within the Occupational Health and Safety Department of the Ministry of Labour (all located 400 feet downwind) have all retired for the day. Is GTT afraid to have these individuals subject to the prolonged abuse or is this simply a case of “barefacedness”?
We are therefore submitting this letter as a public archive that GTT is at it again with the noisy generators and plead for prompt action this time around. Let this be a declaration that disrespect for the laws of Guyana, us as citizens and the agencies which govern us is noticed. Certainly GTT as a monopolized service provider can afford a permanent solution which lasts more than a year. Perhaps invest into solar energy or procedures which actually increases efficiency and performance rather than those aimed to distract the public from this blatant disrespect. We also plead with the EPA to not accept excuses which are crafted under biased corporate policies designed to brush issues under the mat, remember “the environment is everybody’s business”.
Respectfully,
(Name and address supplied on
behalf of fed up residents of Hadfield
Street)
