14 AUG 2017 - New PUC Chairman Embarks on Consultations with Key Stakeholders.

Ms. Dela Britton, the new Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), as of June 2017, embarked on consultations with key stakeholders in the last two weeks.

These bodies included the utilities regulated by the PUC- the GWI, GT&T, Digicel and GPL. The Chairperson and team also met with the Head of the Guyana Consumers Association.

The consultations culminated in a meeting with representatives of various media entities in Guyana on August 14, 2017.

The Members of the Media were advised that the role of the media was two-fold - (1) that they were charged with responsibility to share news and updates with respect to the work of the PUC and the regulated agencies and (2) as consumers themselves who require and use the utilities regulated by the PUC.

Members of the PUC technical team introduced to the media were: Mr. Vidiahar Persaud (Secretary), Mr. Moorsalene Sankar (Financial Analyst), Ms. Destra Bourne (Complaints Manager) and Mr. Nikita Somwaru (Engineer).

Photos:Media representatives and PUC officials.

The Secretary of the PUC gave an overview of the Commission and shared that the core mandate is to ensure that utilities are regulated for efficient services, offered at a reasonable cost and that at all times both consumers and investors' interests are always protected.

The Chairperson also shared the plans to enhance the services of the PUC including:
• development of new content of the PUC's website;
• material for public relations purposes. (In this regard, the involvement of youths in the Commission's activities - in particular, a number of brochures currently in circulation have been designed by them);
• enhanced interface with the members of the media;
• the annual work-plan for the next year which includes:
> Statutory meetings of the Commission
> the Commission's consumer outreach programmes, sensitization and consultations,
> research projects ( trends in each utility sector),
> Capacity building for the staff of the PUC
> PUC articles in the print media,
> complaint forms to be accessed at designated locations and via the website,
> Establishing an office in Essequibo. (There is an existing office in Port Mourant, Berbice).

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