Parts of the Eccles and Ruimveldt corridor were plunged into a power outage on Monday afternoon after a contractor’s machinery struck a high-voltage line along Caneview Avenue, near a new hotel, the Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation has said.
In a statement, the ministry blamed the disruption on what it described as an “uncaring and errant contractor,” identifying the company as Moore and Son Establishment.
The ministry said the contractor was working in the area when its machine came into contact with GPL’s high-voltage infrastructure, rupturing the line and causing residents and businesses to lose power at 4:46 pm.
Adding to the incident, the ministry alleged that the contractor fled the vicinity rather than alerting the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) about what occurred.
Despite that, the ministry said GPL “swiftly mobilised” a technical team and electricity was restored to the affected areas by 6:01 pm.
The ministry warned that it is concerned about a pattern of similar incidents where heavy equipment comes into contact with GPL’s network, leading to what it described as costly mobilisations, customer inconvenience and revenue losses for the utility company.
As a result, the ministry said it has instructed GPL to involve the Guyana Police Force in the matter, noting that these events can cause damage to property and equipment and trigger avoidable blackouts.
The ministry also issued a public warning to contractors operating near GPL’s network to exercise caution and act responsibly, warning that failure to comply will result in punitive measures.
