JLP adds to calls for JPS bill probe
Published:Monday | August 19, 2024 | 12:48 PM
The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has added its voice to calls for an investigation of the reported major increases in the electricity bills of Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) customers this month.
In a media release on Monday, JLP Deputy General Secretary, Richard Creary, said the party notes the complaints about major spikes in electricity bills with concern.
He said the party is calling for the Office of Utilities Regulations (OUR) to explore the possibility of immediately instructing the JPS to halt the payment requirement for current bills while it conducts a swift and thorough investigation.
"The OUR should also assure Jamaicans that people who have been sent clearly unfair and exorbitant bills, with a payment deadline, will not face the indignity of having their electricity disconnected whilst the regulatory entity conducts its investigation into the multiple serious issues which have been raised in the public domain," Creary stated.
He said the probe should look at the extent to which "estimated and actual bills dispatched to customers reflect exorbitant and burdensome increases which do not appear consistent with reported consumption/usage patterns."
Creary also cited a need to revisit the licence under which the JPS operates to ensure there is scope for tighter regulation of the company.
"We welcome the stridency of Energy Minister Daryl Vaz who has been vocal in defending the interest of the people of Jamaica and seeking to ensure that the JPS is held to account. However, the Jamaica Labour Party is of the view that the time has come for an adjustment to the regulatory framework which governs utilities in Jamaica," Creary commented.
On Sunday, the energy minister said he was disturbed by complaints from JPS customers about an "unusual and major spike" in their latest electricity bills.
He said he would formally write to the leadership of the Office of Utilities Regulations (OUR) on Monday insisting on an investigation into multiple complaints about the issue.
Vaz also demanded an explanation from the JPS for the spike.
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