BlytheErica Virtue, Staff Reporter
The stage is being set for what amounts to internecine court battles in the public sector as the National Water Commission (NWC) sues to collect outstanding sums owed by several Government entities.
The NWC 1999/2000 annual report showed that total indebtedness to that body was $1.4 billion, a sum expected to rise when the 2000/2001 report is presented shortly. The heavy indebtedness of many public sector entities to the NWC, has prompted Water Minister, Karl Blythe, to urge the NWC to haul administrators of Government institutions to court to settle debts.
The Minister, during an address in Trelawny last December, said where outstanding water bills for schools, hospitals and fire stations remain unpaid for long periods, all avenues should be used to get payment. Where these fail, administrators should be taken to court, instead of having water supplies disconnected, Dr. Blythe said.
Outstanding bills for schools amount to $7 million. The Jamaica Fire Brigade piled up an estimated $3.4 million which they are paying for over time while at the same time servicing current bills. The amount outstanding for hospitals could not be ascertained.
A source close to the Water Ministry said the Ministry was concerned about the debt at fire stations, as the heavy usage could not be explained. But, should the fire service default, the Local Government Ministry its parent body may have to send its Permanent Secretary, the administrative head of the Ministry to court. And, if the NWC takes any of several public sectors entities to court, the stage is being set for intra-government confrontation.
NWC's Public Relations Manager, Charles Buchanan said last week that the Water Commission spends millions of dollars annually to get potable water to communities. He said the NWC must pay the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo) millions of dollars to pump water to these communities and it must recover funds in order to supply the communities.
"The NWC will exhaust all efforts to collect outstanding sums and court action is really a last resort. But we will act on the Ministry's directives to go to court," he said.
He said the NWC has used the courts before with respect to individuals and private entities.
