MANCHESTER, Jamaica— Placard-bearing residents of Buttup in South Manchester say despite trying to assist in power restoration in their area by digging holes for utility poles to be planted, they are still without electricity.

On Wednesday, the residents blocked a section of the Alligator Pond main road which passes through their community.

“Five weeks now we don’t have any electricity that’s why we block the road this morning, because we need some electricity. We called JPS about three times and the last response they said this area already fixed,” one resident said.

The resident said the lack of electricity has placed senior citizens at risk whose medication must be kept refrigerated.

“At the same time, we don’t have any electricity. My mother is sick. She cannot help herself and she is in darkness for five weeks now. She has medication to put on the fridge and we don’t have any light,” he said.

“Please, I am asking JPS to come and help us, please. From Gutters to Alligator Pond – all of the branches have electricity, so why not we,” he added.

He pointed to holes dug for the planting of utility poles.

“We heard that we have to dig the hole to put the post in and we dug two holes and all now no one has turned up,” he said.

Another resident pointed to a utility pole in need of changing.

“That is the post that the transformer is on and that is the post that is causing all the problems, so if JPS was showing more concern they would respond to the complaints of the people with that particular post,” he alleged.

This latest protest follows weeks of demonstrations across the country with residents demanding answers from the utility company as to when power will be restored in their communities.

Last week, the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) rejected claims that it fell down on the job in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl and allowed utility companies, particularly JPS to shaft Jamaican consumers.

READ: OUR fires back

— Kasey Williams