Truck driver flees after damaging GPL power lines at Diamond

…community left without electricity for hours

Several households and business at Third Avenue and surrounding areas in Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD) were hit with power outages on Saturday morning after a truck reversing on the road struck a utility pole and damaged the Guyana Power and Light Inc’s (GPL) power lines as well as a motor vehicle that was parked nearby. The incident occurred at approximately 09:30 hours as the truck was reversing out of a yard along Third Avenue and made contact with the distribution network and also struck a utility pole. According to GPL, “The impact resulted in damage to the pole and the dislodgement of associated hardware, causing electrical arcing and damage to a nearby customer’s vehicle. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. The driver subsequently fled the scene.”
Guyana Times was told that at the time of the incident, a GPL team was nearby conducting work and tried to get the attention of the driver before he hit the powerlines. Upon realising what transpired, the driver drove off with the truck. However, GPL has since made contact with the owner of the vehicle, Anson Charles, who has provided information to assist with the investigation. The matter has been reported to the Diamond Police Station, and efforts are ongoing to locate the driver.

Up to press time, investigators were still trying to locate the driver.

“Dangerous and irresponsible behaviour”
Nevertheless, GPL has condemned this “dangerous and irresponsible behaviour,” which it said not only disrupted service to customers but also posed a serious risk to members of the public. “The company treats incidents of this nature with the utmost seriousness and will pursue, as it has done in the past, all available avenues to ensure that those responsible are held fully accountable,” the missive from the power company noted. GPL is once again strongly urging drivers and equipment operators to exercise extreme caution when operating near electrical infrastructure. It noted that the increasing frequency of these types of incidents is deeply alarming and unacceptable since they continue to place lives at risk and compromise the reliability of the electricity network. The power company added, “Members of the public are reminded that even minor contact with GPL’s infrastructure can have severe and far-reaching consequences, including service interruptions, damage to property, and potential injury or loss of life. Vigilance and responsible conduct on the road are therefore absolutely critical.”

Only back in April, an engineer at a road construction site at Dennis Street, Sophia in Georgetown, was arrested by police after a heavy-duty machinery damaged a key transmission line and caused nearly 10 hours power outage across the Demerara County. Days later, GPL issued a strongly worded letter to the construction company – China Railway First Group (Guyana) Incorporated to recover more than $30.6 million in repair costs. The power company informed the Project Manager of China Railway First Group, Ma Qiang, that they had 14 days to settle the amount of $30,645,189. GPL had pointed out that the incident represents a serious breach of safety and operational requirements. The power company reiterated that any works conducted in proximity to electrical infrastructure must be executed in strict compliance with established safety standards, including required clearance distances and proper coordination with GPL. Meanwhile, these actions come as GPL intensifies efforts to hold persons accountable for damaging its infrastructure. In recent years, there have been mounting concerns about the repeated damage to utility infrastructure especially by road construction works as well as by vehicular accidents. During a hearing before the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) back in March, PUC Chairman Dr Nanda Gopaul had called for those persons responsible to be held financially accountable for the damages they caused. In response, GPL’s Team Leader, Kesh Nandlall, had explained that the power company has been working with the Police Force to ensure those offenders face legal action. “There was a lot of charges being meted out to these contractors… we have a team of guys that are working very closely with the police. So, when we have these incidents, we act immediately,” Nandlall had told the Commission.