Gov’t put Linden tariff hike on hold

Government has offered to put on hold the hike in electricity tariff in Linden which took effect on July 1, and in consultation with officials from Region 10 and the political opposition, has moved to establish a technical team to brainstorm options to the electricity tariff system.
The decision was prompted by the protest actions and unrest sparked in the bauxite town according to head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon, who addressed the public in the first of a series of daily Office of the President media updates on current national issues on Wednesday.
“This review would include all available and practical options and the attendant implications, financial and otherwise. Also, the government undertook to have the members of the technical team named from collaboration from both sides, and the team would draft terms of reference that would be agreed upon by both sides,” Dr Luncheon said.
The various positions advanced by the government have been submitted to Region 10 Chairman Sharma Solomon for a response, according to Dr Luncheon. Under the new electricity structure, Lindeners were slated to receive the first 50 kWh per month at the existing prices.
Dr Luncheon stated that the July 23 meeting with the government and Region 10 officials and opposition politicians was candid, with both sides committing to finding solutions to resolving the outstanding issues in Linden.
During dialogue with the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change (AFC) in April on the national budget, the government committed to resuscitating the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN) that succeeded the Linden Economic Advancement Programme (LEAP).
Government encouraged the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) in Region 10 in consultation with the community to submit by the end of August, its list of priorities for economic activities beneficial to the Linden community and Region 10 in the short, medium and long term.
The administration also undertook to have the Agriculture Ministry work with farmers of West Watooka and other parts of Linden to realise the agriculture potential in these areas. The establishment of a microcredit scheme for the region along the lines of the Women of Worth (WOW) programme and a commercial bank to facilitate the processing of loans for Linden and Region 10, also formed part of the commitment.