MINISTER of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport Daryl Vaz has welcomed the decision by the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) to offer a $50-million package to provide significant relief to approximately 10,000 residents of St Elizabeth, who have been out of electricity since the passage of Hurricane Beryl.

But Vaz wants the company to do more for its other customers who were without electricity for a extended period post-Beryl.

“I have been in constant dialogue over the last few days with the new president of the JPS [Hugh Grant]…and I have been highlighting to him both verbally and in writing my concerns in relation to the suffering customers. I applaud JPS for the compassionate concession it has given to the people in St Elizabeth; however, I still believe, based on the length of time they took to restore some areas, that there should be some concessions to these residents.

“This could be in the form of discounts, which I know the company is doing, or in terms of payment plans. A lot of people have been completely wiped out based on the length of time for restoration and therefore we have to work with them so that they can get back on their feet. But give credit where credit is due because I see the JPS is moving towards compassionate grants,” added Vaz.

The minister’s comments came hours after JPS President and CEO Grant announced the $50-million package at a media briefing in St Elizabeth on Thursday

Grant told the briefing that each eligible customer in the parish will receive a credit of $5,000 towards their electricity bill, which will be directly reflected as a credit on their accounts. This becomes effective, after these customers have been restored.

He added that to further ease the burden on its customers, JPS is establishing partnerships with local hardware companies in St Elizabeth, in light of the repairs and rebuilding that several residents have to carry out on their homes and businesses.

“We are pleased to announce that Cameric Hardware and Levon Electrical & Hardware in Santa Cruz will be offering special discounts to JPS customers,” said Grant.

“We are also in discussions with other hardware stores and expect to finalise additional partnerships in the near future. JPS customers who present their bills will benefit from these exclusive discounts,” Grant explained.

He said JPS is also continuing its support for the educational needs of students in St Elizabeth.

“Just last Friday, we visited BB Coke High School and provided back-to-school support for over 300 students,” noted Grant as he pointed to a joint effort done by the JPS Foundation, Digicel and Flow foundations, Food for the Poor and other stakeholders.

Care packages were provided which included food items, water, toiletries, school bags, and book vouchers.

Several students also had the opportunity to receive back-to-school medicals free of cost. JPS has also been carrying out a number back-to-school events, hosted in other locations including Trelawny and rural St Andrew.

According to JPS, more back-to-school events will be hosted in St Elizabeth over the next few weeks.

The company added that as part of its commitment to community engagement, it will be holding a series of community meetings in St Elizabeth over the coming weeks.

On Thursday a JPS team met with residents in Balaclava, and a team was scheduled to visit Slipe and Parottee on Friday.

JPS has committed to restoring power to all its customers in St Elizabeth by August 31.