Rambharat: T&TEC has dealt with 4,774 illegal connections

LEADER of Government Business Clarence Rambharat has said between 2016 and 2021, the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC) had dealt with 4,774 out of 5,928 people who had illegal electricity connections.

He was responding to a question from Opposition Senator Wade Mark in the Senate on Tuesday.

Rambharat said T&TEC is addressing issues with the outstanding 1,154 people accordingly. He said people with illegal electricity connections are "billed for the calculated consumption based on the relevant tariff.

"You also have to pay for the electricity estmated to have been stolen. People who have been stealing electricity will be billed retroactively."

In cases where someone has been disconnected because of an illegal electricity connection, Rambharat said the customer will not be reconnected unless the necessary alterations have been made and a valid inspection certificate from the Government's electrical inspectorate division has been produced to T&TEC.

Rambharat said T&TEC had a three-month amnesty from March 22-June 30 for people with illegal electricity connections to rectify their respective situations in order to avoid disconnection and "all associated current-stealing charges."

By the time the amnesty ended, he said, only 46 people had applied.

Rambharat said T&TEC continues to discourage people against making illegal electricity connections and to investigate these matters. He added that illegal connections pose a danger to personal, household and national safety.