Dear Editor,
I am not sure that Mr Timothy Austin’s comments ‘GWI’s policy is not related to whether a property is fully paid for but to ensure a person has a legal right to contract services’ SN, August 11, where he quotes GWI’s National Revenue Manager Earle Aaron, supports my contention that the residents of Paradise Housing Scheme can justifiably expect to be given a document by the Paradise Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society (PMCS) stating that they have been allocated land in the Paradise/Dazzell Housing Scheme without the precondition that all monies must be paid up.
I have no argument against GWI’s policy except to say that if the other utility companies’ bills, etc, are normally accepted as proof of address, then I see no reason for GWI to refuse to accept them as proof that the person producing a GPL or GT&T bill resides at the stated address and rightfully expects to be serviced by GWI.
My argument is with the attitude of the interim management of the PMCS which is refusing to give this allocation document to persons who have been allocated land as far back as 1994 unless they pay the grand sum of $143,500 for the land title. As far as I am aware, the society has paid not one blind cent for any infrastructural works which residents can identify.
Residents were made to pay for street lights out of their own pockets; road works had to be done again in ad hoc arrangements in some secondary streets.
Editor, I wish to go on record as expressing my concern about what would happen if a serious incident occurred in any one of those undone secondary streets which an emergency vehicle cannot access. The main street was done through government intervention. I said in another publication that the PMCS should enter into an arrangement with the affected home owners/householders to address the question of land title payment. Furthermore, there must be an acceptable level of transparency and oversight into the business of the PMCS to dispel any speculation and insinuations about the integrity of persons. This apparent Wild West situation must be brought under control.
Yours faithfully,
Patrick E Mentore
