Thousands taking advantage of NWC amnesty, says Samuda

 

Minister with responsibility for Water, Matthew Samuda, says close to 3,000 customers on a weekly basis have been taking advantage of the National Water Commission's amnesty programme.

 

The amnesty, which began on January 2 this year, is for NWC customers who are pensioners who have been disconnected for two years, people trying to transfer land titles, and customers who have been disconnected for longer than six months.

 

More than 30,000 NWC customers are expected to benefit from the government's debt forgiveness on water bills.

 

Mr. Samuda reiterated that it is important for the government to repay customers for the sacrifices they have made over the last ten years.

 

He also rubbished claims that the amnesty is a political ploy to entice the electorate for the general election due by September, suggesting instead that it is an effort to display care to seniors and the most vulnerable.

 

"So, I encourage you to rebuff, to run away, to send anybody away within any nonsense about being a political ploy. It is a creative programme to re-engage 150,000 customers, and we will try and get as many as possible to re-engage customers so that they can get water in their pipe; they can transfer their land, which sometimes they've inherited years ago and can't afford to transfer," he insisted. 

 

Mr. Samuda was speaking at the recently held Commissioning Ceremony for the Lancewood Pipeline Extension Project in Exchange, St. Ann.

 

Under the amnesty, pensioners who are assessed as being in need, based on the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), will have their debt written off and reconnection fees waived.

 

The programme will end on March 31.