By Sue-Ann Wayow
SINCE 2016 to March 2021, more than 4,000 persons had action taken against them for illegal electricity connections and tampering.
And from March 22 to June 30, 2021, T&TEC offered a three-month amnesty for illegal connections.
On Tuesday, Leader of Government Business Clarence Rambharat in the Senate said, “For the period 2016 to March 2021, the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC) received 5,928 reports relating to illegal connections and also with the tampering of the Comission’s installations. To date, action was taken against 4, 774 of these reported cases.”
Rambharat said T&TEC has been enforcing the law.
He was answering a question asked by Opposition Senator Wade Mark on behalf of Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales.
Mark asked, “Can the minister indicate what action is being taken to regularise the over 2,000 illegal electricity connections that have been reported?”
Rambharat added that the commission under its normal operations investigates any report of illegal electricity connection and gave details as to how the commission proceeds with such action which includes visiting the site and disconnecting supply and removing any illegal apparatus.
Investigations were launched and depending on the nature, persons can be charged. The individual can also be charged for the current supply used and may have to pay the investigative charge cost, he said.
In the cases where electricity was disconnected, it will not be reconnected until the customer makes the necessary alterations and has produced a valid certificate of inspection from the Government Electrical Inspectorate Division, Rambharat stated.
He said for the customers who applied for the amnesty that was advertised, they would have avoided disconnection and all associated current stealing charges.
“To fully benefit from the amnesty, all works had to be completed in the amnesty period,” Rambharat said.
