OCHO RIOS, St Ann— Councillors across the country have long loudly voiced dissatisfaction with the level of service provided by Jamaica Public Service Company Ltd (JPS), and in the post-Hurricane Beryl era the vitriol has been particularly bitter.

Councillor Paul McFarlane (PNP, Calderwood Division) did not hold back on Thursday as he appealed for power to be restored to the area.

The people of Calderwood, McFarlane maintained, have lost hope in JPS.

“When the JPS representatives come, and we make these complaints about what is happening in our division they just move on and say, ‘We’ll do it another day.’ But today the people in the division that I represent are suffering, and I have a responsibility to represent them so I’m asking for some help for the people over in Calderwood,” McFarlane thundered during the monthly sitting of St Ann Municipal Corporation.

Councillor Paul McFarlane says JPS has neglected his Calderwood Division.

He blamed the company for being inadequately prepared ahead of the hurricane, a point made by locally elected officials in other parishes.

“Everywhere in the division of Calderwood is out of electricity. I know JPS can’t work miracle but if they had done any form of de-bushing within the space then things wouldn’t be this bad. What is happening now is evident that JPS hasn’t taken any actions to change anything – even with the hurricane season that is upon us,” argued McFarlane.

He pointed to the danger posed by dislodged electricity poles.

“The poles are in the roads obstructing traffic and forcing residents to use alternate routes which are not safe. We need some help in the Calderwood Division because how are we suppose to manage?” McFarlane asked.

Councillor Ian Bell (PNP, Beecher Town Division) also weighed in to express his disappointment with JPS’s performance before and after the hurricane.

“We have a group that we post the concerns of the residents in, and maybe one time out of 10 JPS responds to anything that we put there. We have no representation from JPS to deal with the issue in this parish; we are not getting any communication from them. They believe they are granting the people of this parish a favour and it cannot work,” said an obviously annoyed Bell.

He expressed concern that he and his peers would be blamed because of JPS’s failure to perform.

“We want the people to understand that when they call us, we call JPS but they are not communicating with us,” he said. “This must stop. And if they [JPS] can’t manage they must pack their bags and go!”