– meters already installed in homes
DPI – Residents of Lust En Rust are on the verge of enjoying a better quality of life as the community is set to receive electricity for the first time within two weeks.
This development follows a meeting between Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Hon. Deodat Inda, Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) officials and residents.
“The houses already have the meter already installed. It is just that the lines are not powered,”Minister Indar said at Saturday’s meeting.
Mr. Tennessee Vickerie, Chairman of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council, welcomed the Minister’s intervention. “Electricity is needed in this housing scheme. You have lots of families, children and so on. This would help them considerably,” he said. It will also broaden connectivity to internet services.
The Chairman said electricity will boost safety as well since lights will serve as a deterrent to criminals. It will also lead to the expansion of Lust En Rust, which is already becoming evident.
“When they put these posts and the wires on, you saw a lot of people came in and started to build or rebuild. So, with electricity being in here, I believe you will have much more people coming in to occupy the plots that they have,” Mr. Vickerie said.
Ms. Melissa Johnson, a resident who moved to Lust en Rust last May, said she visited GPL’s office in August to start the process to access electricity.
“The day after Boxing Day, they come and install the meter and they install the wire,” she said. Ms. Johnson said she is thrilled to soon be connected to GPL’s grid because it will allow her son to pursue his studies virtually amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first house lots were distributed in Lust En Rust in 2014.
Ms. Antonette Barry, a single mother of five children, who has lived in the community for two years told DPI that access to electricity is critical since she sells ice and icicles among other items, to sustain her family.
Thousands of residents from eight communities across the country have benefitted from electricity under GPL’s Unserved Areas Electrification Programme (UAEP).
That programme saw parts of Wallers Delight, Crane Village, Plantation Best Village, Canal Number One (Savannah/Conservancy), Timehri, Little Baiboo, Big Baiboo and New Area Canefield connected to the grid.
