Govt owes NGC $1.8B

Caroni West MP Ganga Singh had asked if the $322 million sum accounts for all debts owed to NGC, to which Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney- General, Stuart Young, replied no. He said it is owed another $1.5 billion, although giving few details.

Earlier, Tabaquite MP Dr Suruj Rambachan asked if a $240 million refund to WASA from the Government is included in WASA’s $1.697 billion budgetary allocation? Young said no. The $240 million is money that the Government collects from industrial tenants at the Point Lisas Estate and then passes on to WASA, and so is outside of WASA’s subvention.

In reply to Caroni Central MP Dr Bhoe Tewarie’s query, Minister of Public Utilities Ancil Antoine suggested the introduction of water metering as one of several revenue- earning strategies, but Singh cautioned him to first try to increase the delivery of water from a current 75 percent to 100 percent, and then afterwards try to introduce metering.

Singh asked how many vacancies exist in the ministry’s Electrical Inspectorate, only to be promised a future reply by the minister.

Rambachan lamented that in south Trinidad it takes too long to get an electrical inspector to inspect a building.

Singh remarked such delays mean that many buildings are not able to undergo an annual inspection, to the detriment of a client seeking compensation from TTEC for damaged electrical appliances. “If an electrical surge damages your appliances, TTEC hides behind the fact that you have not had your inspection,” Singh said. He urged private sector involvement in the Electrical Inspectorate.

At Couva South MP Rudy Indarsingh’s query, Antoine promised to supply electrical lighting to sites hosting community Ramleela events, saying the Government has always done so.