Pensioner left in the dark

Alexis, who lives with her son, said that the street light has been off for more than a year and despite her pleas to the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Company (T&TEC), the problem is yet to be rectified.

“It’s been very difficult so far. This has been going on for about a year now and there is still no end in sight,” Alexis said.

“I have called (T&TEC) on numerous occasions and they keep telling me that they aren’t responsible for the bulbs in the street lights, that a company from Gasparillo is responsible for that.” Alexis said, because of the absence of a street light outside her home, she was almost the victim of a break-in recently.

She added that unless something is done to rectify the problem, she, along with other residents, will be prone to attacks from criminals.

“One night, about a month ago, I was asleep but a noise from out in the yard woke me up. I thought it was my son, so I got up and looked out the window only to see a man looking back at me through the window.

I started to scream and he ran off,” Alexis said. “The following morning, I saw my neighbour who said that he went out to check on his car that night and saw the same man in his car trying to do God knows what. This is really ridiculous. I pay my electricity bills just like anyone else and we can’t have the problem solved.” Other residents in the area have shared Alexis’ sentiments and said that without proper lighting, they simply do not feel safe to go out even a few feet from their own homes at night.

“There are a lot of pensioners on this street [and] some of them can’t see very well,” one woman said.

“To have them in these conditions is just plain wickedness.”