JPS, NWC, NSWMA irk Tivoli residents
TIVOLI Gardens residents are again complaining about sky-high electricity bills, garbage pile-up and insufficient water pressure on some high-rise buildings in the West Kingston community.
The residents aired their grouse last Thursday during a community meeting attended by Police Commissioner Dr Carl Williams and representatives from the Jamaica Public Service (JPS), National Water Commission (NWC), Jamaica Fire Brigade, and the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA).
One resident also complained about insufficient streetlights in the community, but Phillip Jarrett, a representative of the JPS, told the meeting that the problem is a result of residents removing the supply cables and running them to their buildings.
“Please stop it,” Jarrett said. “The danger far outweighs the benefits.”
At the same time, Jarrett said that the light and power company has fixed four of the streetlights and will continue the process.
Meanwhile, residents complained about being heavily billed by JPS.
“Six hundred per month mi use to pay inna [Edward] Seaga time. It changed to $3,000 a month. Every month it jump. Mi nuh have no family, only mi husband and a $200,000 bill mi get,” said one disgruntled woman.
JPS representative Karen Clacken said she would look into her situation.
At the same time, Jarrett told the audience that customers who are overcharged as a result of estimated bills would be compensated.
NWC customers also had complaints. One woman said she has been receiving estimated bills for over 20 years. “I am a paying customer,” she said, “yet still no water, [the] meter not working. When mi go [to the NWC office] they say they don’t come in that area. A bare estimated bill from 1992 up until now.”
One of the few men at the meeting complained that a drain in the community was in need of cleaning. A representative of the NWC said the water provider would assist with cleaning the drains in the community, “if they can”.
Regarding the garbage situation, the NSWMA representative said that residents need to call the agency if their rubbish goes uncollected for up to two weeks.
