Dharamdat Surujpaul, employee of GNNL, popularily known as Suruj, who resides at 5 Canal #2 Alliance, and who takes care of the home of his overseas-based brother, which is located next door to his home , is very distressed at what he perceives to be victimization by GPL.

Suruj said that a GPL disconnection crew disconnected the power to his brother’s house last week. Upon querying the reason, because he knew that there was no monies outstanding to GPL for that bill, he was told that the company was investigating a fraud, and that he should see a Mr. Singh at the Middle Street branch of the company.

Mr. Singh told Suruj that a cheque that had bounced had been tendered in payment on the bill for that meter, and that he would have to pay the amount in full, the reconnection fee, and a $1,500 fine for tendering a cheque that bounced.

Suruj is distressed because he says that he paid with cash and has no chequing account, and he does not think that it is fair that he should have to pay again, plus a reconnection fee. Also he is afraid that if he pays the fine for issuing a bounced cheque, then he is admitting culpability for a criminal act.

When contacted, Mr. Bharrat Dindyal, CEO of GPL, said that the police are investigating the matter, because there were several such cheques issued from a closed Scotia Bank account. He said that the cheques were tendered for payment on bills to all the cashiers at varying times.

Dindyal explained that the electronically stamped acknowledgement of payment would not indicate whether payment was made by cash or cheque; only the cashier’s receipt would be annotated with this information, so the customer’s receipt is no evidence of innocence of a fraudulent act, so GPL was forced to take precautionary measures, according to Dindyal, to ensure that the company does not suffer loss as a result of these fraudulent acts.

He assured the Chronicle that customers would be fully reimbursed if they are proven innocent.

GPL has been plagued with fraud and electricity theft that has caused the company losses amounting to billions of dollars.

Dindyal explained that if this could be stopped, then tariffs could be reduced. He said that even the rich steal electricity.

According to Dindyal, a list was published of persons who had been convicted of stealing electricity, while about another 800 are facing charges for electricity theft.

However, one wonders at the reason for the exemption from prosecution of some persons, most notably a publishing house for a national newspaper, which Dindyal said had made restitution to the tune of millions of dollars, which clearly indicates guilt.

Poor persons are paying for the electricity these rich people steal, yet they are not prosecuted, nor punished in any way when they are caught.

Dindyal justified the decision not to prosecute this media house on the basis that prosecution is difficult.

Yet the numbers on his list of convicted miscreants indicate that conviction is possible; or does GPL only takes punitive measures against the ordinary citizen like Dharamdat Surujpaul, while the media barons and others of their ilk are untouchable?

As long as GPL has monopoly over the power sector, instances of injustices and callous treatment of customers will prevail. Suruj has now become a GPL statistic.