The Tribune

By Earyel Bowleg

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Power and Light suspended its disconnection exercise yesterday, amid long lines outside the company’s headquarters as people tried to pay bills in person.

This came a day after a company official suggested shut off for non-payment would resume on April 1.

BPL had initially suspended disconnections until March 31, to coincide with the expiration of the government’s COVID-19 emergency orders. However, those orders have been extended to April 8.

Yesterday officials said BPL’s disconnection suspension would be extended as well.

This came as scores of people flocked to BPL’s Baillou Hill Road location, queuing for hours outside and some not observing proper social distancing measures, to pay their bills.

When contacted yesterday, Works Minister Desmond Bannister said BPL is “not disconnecting anyone".

He said claims circulating on social media of BPL crews disconnecting power yesterday morning were not true.

“As long as there’s an order in place, BPL is not going to engage in disconnections,” Mr Bannister said. ‘There’s an order in place that indicates that has social distancing policy in place and that requires people to stay home - a curfew. So it would be hypocritical of us to be disconnecting people at this time.”

The power company sent out a public notice on March 24, stating it would suspend disconnections until March 31 and it was reported that the power company would resume disconnection after that date.

On Tuesday, Quincy Parker, the state-owned energy monopoly’s spokesperson, confirmed to Tribune Business that BPL’s previous statement on the April 1 disconnection resumption “stands”. He added: “Should our policy position change, we’ll advise immediately.”

Hours later, officials had a different tune.

BPL’S CEO Whitney Heastie, who called in to Guardian Radio’s “The Revolution with Juan McCartney” yesterday, said disconnections are on hold.

He explained: “BPL took the position that it was going to suspend disconnection until March 31 which is the day that we anticipated ...the 24 hour curfew would be lifted and so what we’ve put out on social media and the public was that we would’ve suspended connection until March 31.

“Since then the prime minister and the government of the Bahamas has said that this is going to continue until April 8, so in keeping in, you know, concert with the government, BPL is also following suit and extending the disconnection of customers and so we will not be disconnecting customers as we would have said up to April 1, now that’s going to be continue on.

“......We do realise that we have a business that’s an essential service and we do need funds to be paid and so we’re asking all BPL customers to do the responsible thing and certainly make payments.”

Mr Heastie explained payments can be through BPL’s website, www.bplco.com, or by calling 302-1130. BPL payments can be made at Scotiabank, Royal Bank of Canada, Commonwealth Bank and other major banks. However, an account number must be provided. He mentioned a payment plan is available as well.

The CEO noted that BPL is following the government’s request for the three month deferral of bill payments for all residential customers who’ve either been diagnosed with COVID-19, those who are quarantined or who have been laid off as a result of the pandemic.

Many people who queued at BPL’s headquarters yesterday, fearful they would face disconnection, complained the online payment portal was not working.

While The Tribune was on site, Mr Parker told reporters to leave, saying the location was private property and the media needed prior permission to gain entry.

Asked about this, Mr Bannister defended the press and said the media has a right to do their work.

“You know in this country, the prime minister has recently defended the right of the news media to report on critical issues and inform the public on those issues and so I will look into that because we certainly will defend the right of the media to be able to report on anything that is critical in this country,” Mr Bannister said.