Leonardo Blair, Staff Reporter
THE NATIONAL Water Commission (NWC) has petitioned the courts for permission to sell the properties of several Corporate Area customers whose accounts are in massive arrears with the Commission.
The company has also launched a search for several persons charged with trespassing on NWC pipelines.
General manager and legal affairs advisor at the NWC, Gawaine Forbes, told The Sunday Gleaner that the courts have already ordered the valuation of two properties to secure arrears and about 30 other cases are being petitioned.
"We have a whole host of legal armoury which is being brought to bear on persons affecting our operations. We are trying to be more efficient. We are going after real estate for which charges are attached," said Mr. Forbes.
He explained that about 15 warrants had been issued for the arrest of persons in the Corporate Area who were found trespassing on NWC pipelines. The legal advisor also pointed out that some persons had attacked NWC workers and the company was working hard to protect its employees.
"Our employees have been shot at, assaulted and locked into premises by some persons and we are trying to deal with that," said Mr. Forbes.
SUSPECTED WATER THIEVES
Three months ago the NWC announced that huge commercial interests, including some major developers of housing schemes and apartment complexes, were on a list of suspected water thieves expected to be prosecuted for illegal connections to its pipelines.
At the time the company said it was owed more than $3 million by at least eight delinquent customers. Mr. Forbes was unable to give an updated figure on Friday but said the arrears had grown considerably.
Cabinet recently amended the NWC Act to levy significantly higher fines on persons caught with illegal connections. Formerly, under the NWC Act persons found guilty of illegally connecting to NWC mains were fined up to $10,000 or jailed for a term not exceeding 12 months or subjected to both fine and imprisonment. Fines have now been increased to between $250,000 and $500,000.
