City Hall was in darkness last night after Guyana Power and Light (GPL) disconnected power to the building yesterday.
“We got no notice. It may be part of the pressures of central government,” said city Mayor, Hamilton Green when contacted last evening. He said that he had not been informed of the disconnection and was trying to ascertain whether the Town Clerk had been informed. In the past, the municipality faced repeated power woes after being unable to pay electricity bills. The buildings without power last evening included the City Constabulary and Engineers Department. Chairman of the GPL Board, Winston Brassington said he was unaware that the electricity to City Hall had been disconnected.
Green pointed out that the city had obtained an interim injunction earlier this year to have the electricity re-connected and said that the time may have run out, but he would have to confirm this.
The Mayor said that government has not paid its second and third quarter taxes, which he said are “due and payable.” He also said that GPL has refused to pay taxes owed by its predecessor, the Guyana Electricity Corporation, saying it was a new company. Green said that the actions have political and other implications and described it as a “tragic situation.”
In June, Green had said that the municipality’s average electricity costs amounted to over $13M per month, the majority of which was street lighting which cost $9.2M monthly. At the time, he said that City Hall was seeking a deal with GPL as it related to the monies owed.
