JPS criticised for delay in repairing broken street lights

 

The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) has come under fire from the Association of Local Government Authorities of Jamaica (ALGA-J) over its apparent delay in repairing several non-functioning street lights island-wide. 

 

ALGA-J President and Councillor for the Rocky Point Division in Clarendon, Winston Maraj, says despite repeated reports by councillors, the light and power company has continued to drag its feet to the detriment of several communities. 

 

He says ALGA-J has written to the power company. 

 

"We have seen and we have been receiving complaints, really, from councillors all across the island of the non-repairs to the street lights. We have a number of street lights that are out and the JPS people have been very tardy in repairing the street lamps," Mr. Maragh complained. 

 

"In my own division that I have been representing for a while now, it is alleged that some JPS workmen came in to put up some new meter boxes - and meter boxes are placed in the communities that have the RAMI (Residential Automated Metering Infrastructure) system - and the workmen themselves refused to reconnect the street lamps in the community of Rocky Point and so the entire community is in darkness. And that's a community that from time to time will flare up, for various reasons, with violence," he lamented.

 

Mr. Maraj said the government has been exploring alternatives to the JPS powered lamps.

 

"We have been looking at solar lamps, however, there is always the complaint that they are not bright enough and some of them don't last the entire night, and that sort of thing. And we have been exploring the options as well, but we do need JPS to act."