SJMC moves to address dangling wires in MoBay
MONTEGO BAY, St James – The St James Municipal Corporation is moving to implement the colour-coding of cables attached to Jamaica Public Service (JPS) utility poles by various other companies, as part of efforts to make it easier to identify providers who attach their cables to the poles.
In recent months there have been reports of several cables dangling on utility poles in the resort city of Montego Bay.
Last week, Mayor of Montego Bay Homer Davis, along with representatives of several utility companies operating in St James, including JPS, FLOW, Digicel and Cornwall Communications, visited the Jimmy Cliff Boulevard in the city, to get a first-hand account of the severity of the problem.
Following the tour, Davis announced the new policy.
“Among the new policies going forward is a colour-coding of the cables, giving each supplier a specific colour tag which will be affixed to their lines. This will be an easier way to identify which company’s cable is loose, and they can be contacted directly and immediately. Where JPS poles have been changed and the old pole remains because data cables are still affixed to then, these will be removed immediately,” he explained.
He stressed that the issue of dangling cables from utility poles has been a long-standing issue, which must be addressed.
“For a very long time the issue of cable dangling from JPS poles has been on the agenda of the corporation’s physical planning and development committee, so this is a major step forward in having the issue addressed. These cables are what they are and citizens may not be able to identify electrical cables from data cables, so the dangling wires pose a threat to life and property,” stated Davis.
Winsome Callum, director of corporate communications and customer experience at JPS, said the utility company is supportive of the St James Municipal Corporation’s stance.
“Yes, we are definitely in support of ensuring that the outstanding issues are addressed. JPS has arrangements with several other service providers for the joint use of poles. Following a meeting with the municipality on June 9, and a subsequent tour of the [Jimmy Cliff] Boulevard on June 19, JPS undertook to work with the other service providers, including the telecoms companies and cable operators, to address the breaches identified,” said Callum.
