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Palms in six-hour blackout Sep 24, 2024 News The Palms Geriatric Home Kaieteur News – Residents and staff of the state-run geriatric home- Palms endured close to six hours of blackout on Monday as the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) continues to struggle in meeting electricity demands here. Power was restored at 7pm after it went out around midday, a resident and security personnel confirmed. Kaieteur News was told the lone generator for Brickdam Georgetown facility has been out of service for several months now. Daily blackouts have plagued Guyana for years and despite the current government pumping billions of tax payers dollars into GPL the situation has remained unchanged. Speaking to Kaieteur News last evening a resident related that they were left in the dark alone after all nurses and aids went home because of the persistent black out. A staff attached to the facility confirmed that the place was without power from 1:00 pm until after 7:00 pm. The resident of the home told this publication that “The nurses went home because they said that they cannot work in the black out…We the old people left in here in the dark to fend for ourselves, we have some people who can’t walk. Everybody just left to suffer…” The resident expressed discontentment at the manner in which the State-owned institution is being managed while explaining that the facility has a backup generator but it has been out of order for months now. “Months now, the backup generation is down and is just a simple part that they want and we can’t get it… And this is not the first time that we are in the black out for such a long time. We experience black out here a lot and when the light goes, the water goes too. Then when we use the bathroom and toilet we can’t flush it is very unhygienic. People can get sick…” “In addition to no light nor water when the power goes, the place does hot, hot because we can’t use the electric fans. It is a horrible sick situation to be in…” The resident said that the issues with the power outage and the lack of a backup power set have been raised with the administration of the senior home. They are very aware of the issues but the matter is nor being addressed. According to the resident, “all that we getting are promises to look into it then months pass and nothing.” The resident lamented that the treatment meted out to senior citizens of the home should not be happening. “We are old people who have paid our dues to society and just because we are in a home we are being treated like we are second class citizens; it is beyond unfair,” added the resident. Efforts made by Kaieteur News to contact officials of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security under which the management of the home falls, proved futile. Meanwhile, only last week Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo blamed the management of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) as well as the old transmission lines for the daily blackouts citizens are currently facing. “So, they (GPL) are telling me that when they move some of these lines, it is causing instability in the system or they have to take off the power to move a bit of the line. So, some of that is happening, some of it is the old system and frankly speaking, we are not happy with the management too, look at what’s going on. So, it’s a combination of factors and it bothers me a lot personally too and we are on it every day as policymakers,” Jagdeo said. The VP explained the he had reached out to the management of GPL and they said that, “oh the system tripped in Berbice. Then they said some piling work has caused the blackout. So I am as concerned as any citizens because we are trying to get more power into the system but there is a lot of upgrade to the transmission and distribution system we have.” Jagdeo lamented that the current state of the grid is not stable and the more power that is put into the system it will cause further instability, hence the reason the government has gone out to tender to have upgrades done. “We have just prequalified I think about 20 companies to do a significant upgrade before the Gas to Energy project comes on stream. That means redundancy, circuits…if you have a single line and it goes off, everyone down the line gets affected. If you have redundancy in circuits then you can continue to supply people. The demand now had skyrocketed with the hotels we have nine hotels being built already some coming on stream,” Jagdeo said. Noting that a regular hotel may use about two megawatts of power, looking at “all the new housing schemes and houses being built, air conditioning and massive investments right across Guyana, the demand has skyrocketed and even for people who have higher income now, many of them are putting in AC’s etc. in their homes, so we are in a mad rush to keep pace until that big project comes on stream next year that will put 300 megawatts into the system.” Furthermore, Jagdeo said government is focused on “a modernisation programme that’s taking place but we are limping along because we keep putting more power into the system and it gets used up all the time and we are running the same power on the old transmission and distribution system. So you have more transformers going out etc,” he added. Related Similar Articles

Ivor Thom returns to art school after call from Jagdeo Sep 24, 2024 News Kaieteur News – Guyanese Sculptor, Mr. Ian Ivor Thom on Monday resumed his duty as Administrator at the E.R. Burrowes School of Art after government officials contacted him following his premature resignation from the school earlier this month. Guyanese Sculptor, Mr. Ian Ivor Thom Kaieteur News had reported on Saturday that Mr. Thom resigned from the school earlier this month after he was verbally abused by a member of the public who used racial slurs. Mr. Thom’s resignation from the school was highlighted in a letter published in the Kaieteur News on Saturday by students who expressed deep concern about the unfortunate incident that led to his departure. When contacted by this newspaper on Monday, Mr. Thom said that following the news article on his resignation, he was contacted by Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo and subsequently the Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport. He related that the VP inquired what had transpired and noted that the matter should not have been handled the way it was. Thom said the VP noted that if a report was made by the other party, then it should have been handled by the PS. “They asked that they would like for me to withdraw my resignation and continue working at the school. I have made a decision; I have consulted my family and we weighed all the pros and cons and I decide that I was going to continue with the fact that the students who wrote the letter raised that they were concerned. I think I can contribute towards the further artistic development. I thought I should return at least until some better replacement is found,” Mr. Thom shared. In their letter, some students from the school had expressed, “We are writing to express our deep concerns over an unfortunate incident that took place at the E.R. Burrowes School of Art involving the Administrator, Mr. Ian Ivor Thom on the evening of Saturday 7, September 2024 at around 4pm. The incident appears to reflect racism and the unjust favour given to those in our society who have status, as a result, that incident led to Mr. Thom’s untimely resignation.” Mr. Thom told Kaieteur News that on the day in question, he was in the parking lot near his car when he observed a red SUV reversing in a parking space next to where he was that was reserved for staff and students of the Art School. Upon seeing this, Mr. Thom said he signalled to the driver to get his attention. The driver came out of the vehicle to speak with him. “The person came out of the vehicle and asked what the matter is. I said, that is a no parking, you can’t park there. It is a passageway and apart from that, this area is reserved for the Burrowes School of Art students and staff. He (driver) said but there is no school. I said but you are also blocking the passageway and even if it’s not school, only our students park there,” Mr. Thom explained. He related that after informing the driver he could not park there, the man insisted that he could park there. “He continued insisting that he can park there. I told him if I come to your place of work or place of residence, and I park where I am not supposed to park would you be abusive the way you are trying to abuse me. He (driver) said, “oh it’s stupid **[word withheld] people like you make this country where it is and that is why all kind of foreigners gotta come in because of stupid people like you,” Mr. Thom recalled. Shortly after that incident, he was asked to reach with Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson at his office concerning what happened. There Mr. Thom said he told the minister what transpired in detail and even committed to getting the names and numbers of the witnesses. However, the minister did not seem inclined to investigate. The following day, Mr. Thom said he resigned because of the remarks directed to him and that the government official never attempted to address or investigate the issue. Meanwhile, on Monday after resuming his duties, he told Kaieteur News that while he hopes that similar incidents do not occur in the future, if they do, he wants them to be handled properly. Mr. Thom is known for his renowned works and has contributed to Guyana’s creative and arts industry for the past 11 years. Related Similar Articles

California sues Exxon over global plastic pollution Sep 24, 2024 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News California Attorney General Rob Bonta announces a lawsuit against oil giant Exxon Mobil over its alleged role in global plastic waste pollution, during a press conference event at Climate Week in New York City, U.S., September 23, 2024. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton Reuters – California and several environmental groups sued Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) on Monday and accused the oil giant of engaging in a decades-long campaign that helped fuel global plastic waste pollution. Speaking at an event during Climate Week in New York City, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the state sued Exxon after concluding a nearly two-year investigation that he said showed Exxon was deliberately misleading the public about the limitations of recycling. The investigation mirrors California’s previous probes into the oil industry’s alleged efforts to mislead the public about climate change, which the state is also suing over. The latest case was filed in a state court in San Francisco. A coalition of environmental groups including the Sierra Club filed a related lawsuit in that court against Exxon on Monday raising similar allegations. Bonta, a Democrat, said his office specifically had sought information on Exxon’s promotion of its “advanced recycling” technology, which uses a process called pyrolysis to turn hard-to-recycle plastic into fuel. He had said the technology’s slow progress was a sign of Exxon’s ongoing deception. “Today’s lawsuit shows the fullest picture to date of ExxonMobil’s decades-long deception, and we are asking the court to hold ExxonMobil fully accountable for its role in actively creating and exacerbating the plastics pollution crisis through its campaign of deception,” Bonta said in a statement. He said he wants to end the company’s “deceptive practices” and is seeking to secure an abatement fund and civil penalties for the harm inflicted by plastics pollution on California. Exxon pushed back at the attorney general, arguing that solutions like advanced recycling work. “Suing people makes headlines but doesn’t solve the plastic waste problem. Advanced recycling is a real solution,” said a spokesperson for ExxonMobil, adding that California has done “nothing to ‘advance’ recycling.” Exxon is the world’s largest producer of resins used for single-use plastics, according to a report published last year by the Minderoo Foundation, with consultancies Wood Mackenzie and the Carbon Trust. California’s lawsuit comes ahead of a final round of global plastic treaty negotiations set to take place in Busan, South Korea, at the end of the year. In those talks, countries are split over whether the treaty should call for caps on plastic production, a position opposed by Exxon and the global petrochemical industry. The United States last month said it supports a treaty designed around global plastic production cuts. Environmental groups praised the lawsuit. Christy Leavitt, Oceana’s plastics campaign director, said California’s lawsuit will “hold industry accountable and debunk the plastics recycling narrative that holds us back from real solutions.” Related Similar Articles

Soesdyke man charged with murder of Levoy Taljit Sep 24, 2024 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News Kaieteur News – Forty-six-year-old Ryvan Francis, of Lot 4B Sharma Street, Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara, was on Monday charged and remanded to prison for the 2012 murder of former Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) employee, Levoy Taljit. Remanded, Ryvan Francis Levoy Taljit Francis made his first court appearance at the Diamond/Grove Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Wanda Fortune. He was not required to plead to the indictable charge which alleges that between December 23, 2012 and December 27, 2012 at the Soesdyke/Linden Highway he murdered Taljit. Magistrate Fortune remanded the accused to prison and he is expected to make his next court appearance on October 9th, 2024. According to reports, Taljit was 25-years old when he went missing. He was last seen leaving his home in his Toyota Raum motorcar, PNN 8315 around 14:00 hours on December 23, 2012. Taljit was dressed in a burgundy tee-shirt and faded blue jeans. After he failed to return home, a missing person’s report was filed and a search was launched. Five days later on December 28, his car was found abandoned in the Yarrowkabra backlands along the Linden/Soesdyke Highway but there was no sign of Taljit. The Guyana Police Force (GPF) had reported that Francis and Taljit were friends and that Taljit would usually visit Francis’ home. The case went cold for years, until detectives made a breakthrough back in 2022, which led them to believe that Taljit was murdered by Francis and issued a bulletin for him in April 2022. Francis was only apprehended last week. Related Similar Articles

‘ExxonMobil and Gov’t selling Guyanese pipe dream by claiming ‘assets’ can be sold to handle oil spill costs’ – PNCR Sep 24, 2024 News Kaieteur News – President of ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL), Alistair Routledge is on record assuring Guyanese that the company has assets which can be sold to take care of oil-spill related costs, while Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said the country is well shielded and should not worry about those expenses. Advisor to the Opposition Leader on Economics and spokesperson on oil and gas, Elson Low This is however nothing short of a “pipe dream”, according to the largest opposition party in Guyana, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R). Advisor to the Opposition Leader on Economics and spokesperson on oil and gas matters, Elson Low in a recent interview told this newspaper, “The idea that the Stabroek block partners’ local assets are satisfactory to cover any damage from an oil spill is farcical. Vice President Jagdeo first tried to sell this idea to the Guyanese people and it is disappointing to see it referenced again.” He pointed out that in the event of a major oil spill offshore in the Stabroek Block, production will be severely impacted and equipment may be irreparably damaged. This means that the value of existing assets and oil wells will plunge, at least in the short term, according to him. “It may even be some time before a well can re-enter production, if it is not abandoned altogether. To claim that the country can rely on these assets is thus an attempt to dodge the provision of appropriate oil spill insurance as well as a parent company guarantee,” Low argued. The treasurer of the PNC/R was keen to note that oil spill expenses can run into the tens of billions of US-dollars, as he pointed to the urgency of exercising caution when it comes to provisions to safeguard Guyana. At previous press engagements, Alistair Routledge boasted of his company’s assets as a primary form of financial assurance. He said citizens should note that this is separate from the assets of the other Stabroek Block co-venturers who also have substantial assets and share any liability for response activities. The country’s financial line of defence or response to a spill includes a US$600 million insurance package, offered by a company owned by ExxonMobil, a US$2B oil spill guarantee, and assets which the company said can be sold to take care of its liabilities. A look at the company’s 2023 Annual Report however raises further concerns about Guyana’s preparedness to respond to any such event, as more than half of Exxon’s assets are production wells, located several thousands of feet below the water surface. According to the company’s 2023 Annual Report, at the end of December 2023, Exxon’s assets, including vehicles, buildings, wells and facilities in progress, production wells and facilities as well as other right of use equipment such as the FPSOs, drill rigs and others, totaled almost $3 trillion (GYD) or US$14B. Notably, the wells and facilities in progress and the production wells and facilities account for just over US$10B. This has therefore raised the question of whether Exxon will cash out the wells and facilities to pay for an oil spill. It was reported that VP Jagdeo during his February 22, 2024 press conference at Freedom House in Georgetown stated that Exxon has some $20B in assets that can be sold in the event of an oil spill. He was asked by Kaieteur News to list the assets, but instead shifted his attention to the assets of Hess- a 30 percent shareholder in Guyana’s Stabroek Block. Related Similar Articles

Govt. spent $24M to remove derelicts in Regions 3 & 4 Sep 24, 2024 News Some of the derelict vehicles the Ministry of Public Works removed between January to now. (Photo courtesy, Public Works Ministry) Kaieteur News – The Ministry of Public Works on Monday said that between January and September this year, some $24 million was spent on the removal of derelicts along roadways. “The Ministry of Public Works has mounted 47 exercises between January to September 2024, to remove derelicts from various parts of Regions 3 and 4. These activities have amounted to a cost of GYD $24,511,000,” the Ministry informed on Monday. It was reported in the media that upon assuming office, the government through the Public Works Ministry launched a campaign to remove derelict vehicles and encumbrances along the roadways. The ministry has been urging the public to comply with the standards of cleanliness in the environment. In a notice issued by the ministry in November 2022, the ministry said that the exercise will continue in varying forms, in sections of Georgetown and throughout the country.  The ministry further notified that it will not be responsible for any damage or loss when these derelict vehicles and encumbrances are removed. “The National Cleanup and Derelict Vehicle Removal Exercise is being carried out in accordance with the Laws of Guyana, Section 29 of the Road Act Cap. 51:01 – ‘seizure and disposal of property obstructing road Act,” the ministry explained in its notice. Kaieteur News understands that the cleanup campaign is being carried out to protect citizens, promote road safety, and improve the flow of traffic, especially in the event of emergencies. Related Similar Articles

Miner on $100,000 bail for narco possession charges Sep 24, 2024 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News marijuana, court, police, not guilty, bail Kaieteur News – A 46-year-old Bachelor’s Adventure resident Mark Ramdass was on Monday slapped with two charges of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking after he was found on Sunday to have both marijuana and cocaine, in a camp at Oku back dam. Ramdass appeared at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Teriq Mohammed to answer the charges to which he pleaded not guilty on both counts. He was granted bail in the sum of $50,000 for each charge and the matter was adjourned until October 28th 2024 for disclosure. On September 23rd this publication reported that according to police, on Sunday around 02:00hrs, a team of ranks from Regional Division 7 went to the camp of 46-year-old Mark Ramdass at Oku Backdam. On their arrival, they found Ramdass asleep in his bed. He was awakened and subsequently, a search was conducted in the camp where a black plastic bag which contained a bottle was discovered inside a pillowcase. Further examinations revealed that the bottle contained several rock-like substances which were suspected to be cocaine, along with a number of Ziploc packets containing seeds, leaves, and stems suspected to be cannabis. Ramdass was informed of the offence committed and cautioned, to which he replied, “Is me own, do a thing fo meh nah.”  He was arrested and escorted to the Bartica Police Station, where he was placed into custody and the suspected narcotics (cocaine and marijuana) weighed. They amounted to 5.4 grams of cocaine and 38.7 grams of marijuana. Related Similar Articles