THE Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Wednesday officially opened its new building on New Garden Street, Queenstown, in the presence of Prime Minister Samuel Hinds.

Also present were Chief Executive Officer, Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T), Radha Krishna Sharma; and Chairman of the PUC, Justice Prem Persaud, along with other officials and members of the PUC.
In his remarks yesterday, Prime Minister Hinds disclosed that, “This is another step in the life of the PUC, especially pertaining to the fact that they are a relatively new institution in Guyana.”
He also observed that in the past, basic utilities were monopolies controlled by the Government, and now they have moved towards liberalisation.
“In the past, persons thought that if the Government had control over the Public Utilities it wouldn’t have been managed properly, because of political issues and such,” he said.
According to the Prime Minister, persons also thought that private enterprises could have attracted more investors than the Government.
Apart from that, he noted that in the past, persons were reluctant to pay a fair price for the services.
But aside from those assumptions in the past, the Government has still shared a good relationship with the PUC, and has contributed immensely over the years to the development of that sector, the Prime Minister noted.
“Although we share a good relationship, I am still glad that the PUC is at some distance from the Government, so that there could be a balance between the private and public enterprises which are involved,” he said.
DEVELOPMENT OF TELECOM SECTOR
PM Hinds also highlighted the rapid development of the Telecommunications Sector, noting that “The Telecom Sector being liberalised gave way for its rapid development.”
In closing, he noted that the Government has been assisting the PUC in getting their job done, and he encouraged the members of the PUC to work towards growing and developing their sector.
Also speaking at the ceremony, PUC Chairman Persaud observed that the PUC, since its establishment in 1987, has grown over the years, under the watchful eyes of many distinguished persons, too many to list.
Persaud noted that in 1990 the PUC was housed in a small office on the lower flat of Parliament Building, but they were asked to vacate the location by some politicians.
“In 2002, with the assistance of PM Samuel Hinds, they were able to acquire a building on Church Street, where they were housed for 13 years, until moving to this location,” he said.
Persaud said that they were able to purchase their current building last year after garnering assessment fees from consumers, and also with the assistance of past and present PUC officials and members.
The PUC is set up to ensure that regulated utilities offer an efficient service to consumers at a reasonable cost.
Apart from that, they establish and enforce rules and procedures for the regulation of public utilities, commensurate with internationally accepted regulatory standards, among other objectives.

(By Navendra Seoraj)