JPS says it will soon announce full restoration timeline for St. Elizabeth

By Kimone Witter    

 

The Jamaica Public Service Company says the country will hear shortly when there will be full restoration of electricity in St. Elizabeth.

 

It has been revealed that work will not be completed in the southwest of the parish by the JPS's August 12 timeline.

 

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has asked that the JPS provide a commitment date to restore electricity in that constituency.

 

Speaking Thursday on the Morning Agenda on Power 106, Director of Corporate Communications at the JPS Winsome Callum said the Prime Minister will soon be updated. 

 

She explained that the JPS will be unable to meet the August 12 timeline in southwest St. Elizabeth as it is still assessing the damage "to make sure we can pull out all the stops, that we have a very good sense of what needs to be done, and we can have all the resources in place to expedite that restoration. So, we do not want to give a date that is not realistic." 

 

Ms. Callum added that most of the work in northeast St. Elizabeth should be completed by Monday.

 

 

Meanwhile, the JPS Director of Corporate Communications has sought to explain why some of the company's customers received estimated bills while being out of service during the July to August billing period.

 

Up to Wednesday, there was a complaint from a customer in Southampton, St. Elizabeth, during a protest, that she had received an estimated bill, despite being without electricity for five weeks.

 

Winsome Callum has advised those persons who were without service, that the issue will be resolved.

 

"We ask you not to be too distressed. We are not going to be disconnecting your service.... I'm a little curious though about what the amount on that bill would be, but my advise is do not be overly concerned because we recognise that there were thousands of customers who did not have service," she said.