FROM
CUBA
Theft affects electric service in Santiago
de Cuba
HAVANA, Cuba, January 9 (www.cubanet.org)
- The continued theft of supplies has had
serious repercussions in the level of service
rendered by the electric and telephone companies
in Santiago de Cuba province.
The two companies, along with the railroads
and the Sugar Ministry suffered the greatest
losses during the last year.
Reports include the theft of 21,000 meters
of telephone and electric cable, and 800
liters of the oil that cools electric transformers,
which ended up causing blackouts and disruptions
in railroad, factory, hospital and school
services.
And that may be just the tip of the iceberg.
According to independent union activist
Jorge Luis Ferreiro, the official data only
take into account crimes in which the perpetrators
were caught.
"The theft of perimeter fencing from
the electric substations, of transformers
and even of light poles is constantly going
on," Ferreiro said.
Ferreiro also pointed out that the magnitude
and prevalence of the thefts result in increased
crime in the streets due to the lack of
light and the death of several people in
the last few years who were electrocuted
while tampering with the cables.
Versión
original en español
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