THE Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) is planning to substantially reduce its annual electricity bill for Corporate Area markets, by requiring vendors to apply individually to the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo) for electricity for their shops and stalls.

McKENZIE... we are forced to terminate our subsidy

In addition to market fees of $50 per day, the KSAC requires the vendors to pay a small contribution of between $300 and $500 monthly for electricity. The KSAC paid an estimated electricity bill of $20 million for the markets for the 2005/2006 financial year.
Mayor Desmond McKenzie told Tuesday's council meeting that implementation of the plan would begin in three markets - the Constant Spring Market, the Constant Spring Arcade and the Pearnel Charles Arcade.

"Representatives of the KSAC and the JPSCo will be visiting these locations to inform vendors of the need to regularise these services on an individual basis," McKenzie said.
"We are making the locations compliant, in terms of the necessary wiring. The vendors will need to go directly to the JPS to work out the delivery of power on an individual basis. Failure to do so will result in the service being terminated by the JPS," he added.

McKenzie pointed out that the "paltry sum" paid by the vendors as a contribution for electricity "can't meet the light bill", adding that the KSAC was "forced to terminate our subsidy" because of the vendors' abuse of the electricity supply to the markets.
He pointed out the case of the Constant Spring market, for example, where $1.1 million of the $1.5 million collected was used to pay the electricity bill.

He said that it would be the responsibility of the JPSCo to ensure that there were no illegal electricity connections in the markets.
"It will be up to the JPSCo after this is done to monitor it because we're not taking any responsibility and we are not paying that kind of electricity bill anymore," he explained.

Eventually vendors in all the markets would be required to apply to the JPSCo for electricity, McKenzie said.
He said that the water bills for the markets were also substantial and suggested that a similar strategy would have to be used to reduce the costs for water.

Last month's KSAC Finance Committee meeting voted not to increase market fees from $50 per day to $100 per day and the fees of the arcades by $100 per week, to enable the KSAC to begin paying arrears of $27 million owed by the markets for statutory deductions.
At the Finance Committee meeting, Deputy Mayor Lee Clarke pointed out that the electricity bill for the markets was $20 million annually.
He said that in the Pearnel Charles Arcade, for example, some vendors used several pieces of electrical equipment, such as fans, radios, televisions, food vending machines and sound systems.
Clarke said that the electricity savings "can go towards paying off the statutory deductions".

McKenzie meanwhile told a press briefing after the council meeting that the KSAC had met with vendors from the Constant Spring market and advised them of the situation.
"They are aware of what we are proposing to do and a lot of them are in support. Some of them already on their own have gone out and obtained the services of the JPSCo," he disclosed.

He said that the KSAC would be focusing on the Constant Spring market to ensure that there was no illegal vending on Constant Spring Road or on Clifton Boulevard near Mannings Hill Road and Cassava Piece.

"A market is now developing in the area between Constant Spring Road, Shortwood Road and Oakland Apartments. The end of June is the deadline for completion of our work in the Constant Spring market," he said, adding that after the deadline no vending at all will be allowed on Clifton Boulevard or Constant Spring Road near Shortwood Road.
"We are going to be taking a zero-tolerance approach," McKenzie said.

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