Prime Minister Bruce Golding has given the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) two weeks to provide a complete analysis and detailed report of the charges being imposed by Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS), following a meeting convened at Jamaica House yesterday.

"The analysis must be done to ensure that consumers are not being overcharged and are not being called upon to pay for inefficiency," a Jamaica House spokesperson said in a release yesterday.

Golding's directive follows a series of islandwide demonstrations by customers who are demanding an explanation for the increased bills.

Yesterday, a Trelawny customer showed a $79,000 bill, while more than 100 others in St Elizabeth called for the Government to take back full control of the JPS in front of its Black River office.

Last week, the light and power company issued an erroneous bill for more than $400,000 to a single woman from Portmore, St Catherine.

Golding also directed the OUR to compile an analysis of the oil purchases done by Petrojam, specifically for the JPS, since January 2007.

JPS breach

The OUR last Friday said JPS breached the conditions of the All-Island Electricity Licence 2001 by issuing bills for a 41-day period.

As a consequence, the OUR has directed JPS to reduce the billing period for the actual and estimated bills for July-August 2008 for the affected accounts and provide a method for calculating the adjustments to the bills that will reflect consumption levels for the fewer days at the fuel rates which were applicable for that period.

The Consumer Advisory Committee on Utilities has written to JPS president, Damian Obiglio, requesting an explanation for the circumstances surrounding the extended billing cycles and the suspension of meter reading over the same period.