Brunet Entreprise condemns UNELCO fine and high water charges during recovery effort

January 26, 2025 10:24 pm | Posted in Business News | Share now Twitter Facebook

By Adorina Massing.

Brunet Entreprise Générale has voiced its concerns to UNELCO over the high charges for water consumption during the demolition of the La Casa d’Andrea e Luciano Building this week, labelling it as “uncooperative behaviour” during an emergency recovery response.

The Recovery Operations Centre (ROC), led by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), has prioritised the demolition of La Casa d’Andrea e Luciano in order to ease traffic flow, reopen the portion of road from Moorings to Fung Kuei, and ensure business continuity in key parts of the city.

On Wednesday, January 23rd–24th, the Brunet Enterprise team began the demolition process at the site.

In a written statement, Brunet Entreprise Générale stated that they had planned to start the demolition at 12pm and, to mitigate dust, they had intended to use a water hose. “The La Casa Andrea building had no water meter because it was damaged and cut off, so we connected our hoses to the fire hydrant. “It was an urgent situation, as all the local authorities and machinery were already in place and ready to work,” the company said.

“We knew we would have to clear this with UNELCO. We were in plain sight of everyone, with no intention of hiding it—there were media people and other pedestrians taking photos. We knew we had to pay UNELCO for the water usage. UNELCO contacted us the next day, cut off water access, and urgently installed a meter on the fire hydrant. They insisted that we pay before water access was restored.

“They gave us a flat rate for the water we had already used. We have now completed the demolition and paid the invoice from UNELCO. For a consumption of VT20,000, we received a fine of VT70,000. We are trying to help the authorities reopen the city, so we find UNELCO’s attitude uncooperative.”

While acknowledging attempts to handle the situation constructively, Pierre-Henri Brunet, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Brunet Entreprise Générale, wrote to UNELCO, stating that it is imperative to address how the company has, on multiple occasions, allegedly shown a lack of respect and professionalism towards them despite a relationship that spans decades.

“This latest incident is beyond unacceptable: a penalty of VT70,000 imposed on us for connecting to a RIA for water to limit the dust during the urgent demolition of Casa d’Andrea,” he stated. “This demolition was critical for the swift reopening of the road between Moorings and Fung Kuei and was carried out transparently, in plain sight of everyone. Your reaction, marked by pettiness, is a direct affront. These actions are intolerable.”

The Daily Post has reached out to UNELCO for a response but was unsuccessful prior to print yesterday.