… As Labor Minister fmr swings in as new Commissioner
With the swearing in of his one-time Cabinet colleague and former Labor Minister, Dr Nanda Gopaul as Commissioner of the Public Utilities Commission, President Dr Irfaan Ali has warned the body that their work will intensify with Guyana’s developmental trajectory.
The Head of State made this allegation after administering the Oath of Office to Copaul, who will be the PUC’s fourth Commissioner, at the President’s Office on Shiv Chanderpaul Drive.
“The work of the PUC is expected to intensify as Guyana enters this new phase of its development, one that has already witnessed the liberalization of the telecommunications sector and plans are underway to boost power generation and supply. water, ”said President Ali.
“In exercising their duties, public utility regulators protect the public interest; they are expected to examine the services provided by public utilities with reference to the social and economic well-being of consumers and to ensure efficient and quality services are provided. ”
President Ali highlighted that, unless prudently regulated, public utilities can use their dominance of the market to avoid fair pricing and provide adequate, reliable and quality services. He then expressed his satisfaction that Guyana is today operating in an environment where the monopoly on the telecommunications sector has been dismantled.
He reminded the PUC, which is tasked with discharging regulatory, investigative, enforcement and other functions conferred on it by the Public Utilities Commission Act and other laws, including the Guyana Energy Agency Act, the Electricity Reform Act and the Telecommunications Act.
Ali noted that the effectiveness of the PUC service can be achieved by examining the quality of services that consumers receive, examining the work done to protect their interests and ensuring that they receive what they pay for.
“Or we can examine how effectively we are based on how we carry out the task of investigative powers and the way we have dealt with various consumer complaints,” explained President Ali.
In outlining the various functions of the PUC, through the Public Utilities Commission Act, President Ali emphasized that the Commission is also required to ensure that all public utilities maintain its property and equipment in such a condition as to enable a service adequate, efficient, and non-discriminatory, affordable, and safe.
The President highlighted concerns at the Guyana Power and Light (GPL), which recently came to his attention. According to him, the power company has not been maintaining its facilities for almost four consecutive years. This includes the lines. He made it clear that this had to be corrected.
President Ali reiterated his Government’s commitment to supporting the work of the PUC and expanding and improving the quality of public services provided to citizens.
He expressed confidence that Dr Gopaul’s stellar record of public service and his wealth of experience will be a boon to the PUC.
“Today, I am proud to have administered the Oath of Office to the newest member of the PUC, Dr Nanda Kishore Gopaul … I wish him and the PUC every success in protecting the public interest.”
Dr Gopaul joins Chairman Dela Britton and three other Commissioners: Dr Leyland Lucas, Verlyn Klass and Rajendra Bisessar at the PUC. The PUC, guided by Public Utility Commission Act No. 26 of 1990, came into force on October 1, 1990. The Act was amended in 1991, 1994 and 1999.
The PUC is tasked with regulating utilities and service providers including GTT, Guyana Power and Light (GPL), Guyana Water Inc (GWI), and Digicel. In the past, it had to level fines against some utility providers.
