OF recent, there has been a spate of black-outs in a section of Best Village on the West Coast of Demerara. The most recent of such incidents occurred on Monday evening and lasted throughout the night and late into the following day.

Unconfirmed reports indicate that the regular black-outs are as a result of a problematic ‘transformer’ on one of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) electricity poles in the area.

This same transformer literally ‘blew-up’ one evening, with a loud bang followed by fire.  Residents are very peeved at GPL’s seeming sloth and by now obvious  apathy in even attempting to rectify  the problem.

Added to the frustration is  the fact that it is extremely difficult to get through calling to GPL’s West Coast office at Versailles (Tel # 264-2668).  I, for one, was very frustrated after trying, unsuccessfully for more than three hours on Monday night, to get someone to answer the telephone lines at GPL’s  Versailles Office.

To add salt to the wound is the fact that, sometimes when persons do get through on the telephone, they are greeted in a rude manner – as if the ringing of the telephone may have disturbed them from their blissful slumber. Don’t even ask about the oftentimes grossly obnoxious answer one is subjected to if persistent queries  are made as to when electrical power is likely to be back up. GPL, especially its West Coast office, needs to get its act together. As the black-out woes continue to plague Best Village, residents are peering through the darkness in the hope that GPL can shed some light.