The energy company Air-e gave a period of 15 days to suspend the energy service in some neighborhoods of the municipalities of Sabanagrande, Luruaco, Repelón and Piojó due to non-payment of invoices.
The measure was taken after the mediation ofThe governor of Atlántico, Eduardo Verano, between different mayors and the company.
Due to the late payment of energy billing in the so-called special zones, Air-e had announced the suspension of service for seven hours a day, six days a weekwhich also affected the provision of water service in these and other municipalities.
After evaluating the portfolio situation of the different sectors and the legal validity of the measure, a trade agreement was reached to mitigate the impact of rationing or the continuity period.
Governor Eduardo Verano facilitated the meeting between mayors and the Air-e company.
Photo:Government of the Atlantic
“We had the opportunity to bring together the efforts of the Air-e company and our mayors to find a way to strengthen the energy service, improve the collection systems and seek new investments,” said Governor Verano.
The Air-e company, within the framework of regulation with differential energy service provision schemes in areas that are difficult to manage, establishes a figure called continuity period, which consists of delivering energy in proportion to the default in a certain geographical area. .
Air-e assessed and notified the application of the continuity period in the difficult-to-manage areas of Sabanagrande, Luruaco, Repelón and Piojó, resulting in a service interruption of seven hours a day for six days a week.
The general manager of Air-e, Santiago Posso, was grateful for the mediation space offered by the governor to publicize the effort it means for the company to provide the service in the face of the challenge presented by the ‘non-payment’ culture. , rooted in certain sectors of the territory.
“We are willing to explore, together with the governor and the mayors, a series of measures that will allow us to stop the process of suspending the service that we had announced in these special areas where there are difficulties for access to the entire commercial cycle,” added Posso.
Plans to recover the delinquent portfolio
The official stated that projects aimed at improving the service for users in a sustainable manner have been stopped and he trusts that the proposed commitments will be carried out and the common goals will be met.
In addition to suspending the implementation of the continuity period, the commitment of the mayors to carry out socialization work in their communities was determined so that households take advantage of the ‘Voy Gano’ plan, which consists of maintaining a positive and constant payment habit for a period of 18 months, with the company’s commitment to forgive interest and other concepts of the debt in arrears.
It was also decided to start a specific action plan in each municipality to normalize the debt of the public sector in the territories, which includes hospitals, schools and other state buildings.
Likewise, it was decided to link the concept of the Attorney General’s Office within the efforts to regularize the debt of sectors that are difficult to manage. In this same sense, a commitment was made to reinforce the process of normalizing neighborhoods that has been working as a pilot in the sectors of Barahona in Baranoa and Las Marías II in the municipality of Sabanagrande.
Call from mayors to defaulters to catch up
Finally, it was agreed to continue with these work tables on a monthly basis to share the initiatives advanced and ensure compliance with the indicators that allowed the suspension of energy to be postponed, especially in the issue of improving the collection of bad debts in these areas.
Air-e reiterated that it expects compliance from mayors and residents to overcome the situation.
The mayor of Baranoa, Edinson Palma, indicated that the suspension measure in the energy service affected the pumping of drinking water to Baranoa. “We were pleased that this measure was postponed and we appreciate Governor Verano’s mediation. We are left with tasks to complete for each of the local leaders and we will work hard these weeks to bring better indicators to the next meeting,” Palma said.
The mayor of Luruaco, Ameth Juan Hanna, said he was leaving his municipality with a calm report after reaching a consensus through Governor Verano. “We understand the situation of Air-e; we know that they handle a very high portfolio and we want the community to be more aware that energy consumption increases due to high temperatures, but we have to be responsible and pay so that the service can continue,” said Juan.
The mayor of Santo Tomás, Paula Hun, also thanked the Governor for the call heeded by the decision taken by Air-e. “I am very satisfied with the conclusions of the meeting, that is, the temporary suspension of the measure and we also reached some agreements on the normalization of these neighborhoods. In the next few days we have a meeting again with all the mayors to see what solution we are going to give to this problem,” said Hun.
The mayor of Sabanagrande, Darwin Rosales, said he sees hope in these commitments and trusts that users will respond positively. “We appreciate the consideration that has been given to these vulnerable communities and the time they have given us to undertake actions that lead to normalizing the delinquent portfolio in these areas,” said Rosales.
The mayor of Galapa, Fabián Bonett, said that this meeting was very necessary to make known the status of the debt by Air-e and thus give a better management of the issue in his municipality. “We are going to start working from today, it is really necessary to work together to improve the entire electrical system, the entire part of the public service in this case of Air-e,” said Bonett.
The mayor of Polonuevo, Óscar Avilés, joined in thanking the Government for its mediation on this important issue. “In fifteen days we will meet again with the governor and Air-e to measure the results of the commitments of this meeting. But the most important thing is that the community is not going to be affected, and especially this season,” concluded Avilés.
Together, all the attending mayors called for the community to comply with its billing commitments with the energy service provider company.
