#JLP79 | Holness: 'Comprehensive plan' coming to deal with chaos in towns and capitals

The Government has promised a "comprehensive programme" geared towards redeveloping parish capitals and rural townships, many of which are overrun by chaos and disorder, according to Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

Speaking at the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP) 79th annual conference held on Sunday, Holness recalled recently driving through  some of the areas.

“As I drive around the country, whether it is Linstead that I visited a couple days ago, May Pen, Black River, Santa Cruz, Hopewell, and my own town, Spanish Town; it is all chaos and mayhem,” he said.

The Prime Minister said while police are doing their best to manage traffic and public order, parish capitals and townships established 100 years ago, cannot handle the increased traffic and commerce. 

“We will make the drivable, we will make them walkable, we will restore their historic assets; we will ensure that people can feel proud, safe and secure in these areas. We will ensure that these areas become centres of economic activities; and we will ensure that we collect the garbage,” Holness said. 

A garbage crisis has emerged in recent months with complaints growing about non-collection. 

However, the National Solid Waste Manage Authority said Saturday that fifty trucks recently arrived in Jamaica and will be on the roads by December 1. 

The agency's head Audley Gordon said he expects complaints to fall by 50 per cent. 

Holness also appealed for understanding from Jamaicans upset over road conditions.

Citizens have staged several protests in recent months over the issue. 

Holness said the government has made allocations in the current budget to fix roads, and additional amounts will be set aside in the upcoming estimates. 

During his budget presentation in March, Holness suggested that some towns may have to be re-located because "there are townships that in their present locations are indefensible to climate change effects or logistically challenging for greater development plans". 

- Ainsworth Morris 

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