With the long-awaited electrification of Angoy’s Avenue, some 4,000 residents will now be able to receive electricity legally for the first time.
Scores of residents turned out on Thursday to witness Prime Minister Samuel Hinds flipping the switch to light the community, which is located in greater New Amsterdam, Berbice.
The electrification comes decades after the community was established. Prior to the electrification programme, Angoy’s Avenue had the highest amount of illegal connections—estimated at 90% in 2014, when 1,685 illegal connections were removed. The figure was previously at 99%.
“Every day it’s like Christmas – with lights, lights and more lights!” exclaimed Shaunza Heywood, a resident, about the development.
In October, 2014, the government approved the electrification programme after the injunction was lifted. Infrastructural works began on November 4, 2014 and were completed on December 8 in preparation to connect the community to the national power grid for Christmas. Many residents wired their homes in anticipation. However, unforeseen circumstances prevented the majority of Angoy’s Avenue from receiving electricity for the festive season, with only around 35 applications being processed and approved. Nevertheless, those issues were eventually resolved and to date the Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) Berbice Metering Department has completed some 331 new service installations in the community.
We recognise how essential and important electricity is to any community,” Region 6 Chairman David Armogan said in his address at the lighting of the community, where he spoke of the importance of every home in Guyana being able to receive electricity from GPL. “It is not a privilege in the world today. Electricity should be guaranteed to every home in our country and this is what we are working towards,” he added. “When you have electricity there are so much of other comforts that come with it – you can use a microwave, you can have your own fridge, you can have whatever appliance you want in your homes,” he further said.
It was noted that billions of dollars are being spent by the government and the GPL to reduce electricity theft and Armogan used the forum to urge all residents to be each other’s keepers and ensure that no one steals electricity from the power company. “We are asking the residents of Angoy’s Avenue to support our mission and to stop others from stealing electricity,” he said.
“When we didn’t provide the alternative, we didn’t want to treat you too bad. But now that we are providing the alternative, we expect you to behave in a certain way. We expect all our comrades to ensure that your neighbours do not steal electricity,” he added.
Hinds, in delivering the feature address, opined that as Guyana expands and develops, there are going to be more and more persons demanding electrification. “Since the completion of our UAEP [Unserved Areas Electrification Programme] between 2005 and 2010, all across our country, all our communities now have another street with three–four–five–six–ten houses, sometimes, and they are all calling again for electrification and we are trying our best to set up another small UAEP 2,” he explained.
Applications for electricity by residents of Angoy’s Avenue are still being processed by GPL’s commercial office.
In 2014, GPL also connected other housing schemes, such as Number 76 Village, Fort Ordnance Housing Scheme and Glasgow Housing Scheme in Region 6 and Bath Settlement in Region 5.
