Member of Parliament for St Andrew Western Anthony Hylton is appealing to the Government to provide affordable wiring of houses in Riverton City for residents who wish to become regularised.

Making his contribution to the State of the Constituency debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Hylton said wiring of 100 houses was just completed under the first phase of a two-phase programme designed to expand access to legal electricity by residents of Riverton City, and to reduce revenue losses to the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) by removing illicit connections.

He, however, noted that only this small number has been completed due to the prohibitive cost involved in wiring individual houses.

“I am, therefore, calling on the Government to demonstrate its genuine concern for the most vulnerable in society through a targeted programme of cost reduction or elimination for the wiring of houses, thereby providing legal light to all those wanting to connect legally to the grid,” said Hylton as he argued that everyone will benefit from the adoption/expansion of such a programme by the Government.

He noted that this initiative to wire homes is a partnership forged between the community and JPS led by him and the councillor for the Seaview Gardens Division Hazel Anderson after patient and deliberate negotiations.

“The next phase in this collaborative arrangement will be implementation of an improved distribution infrastructure to enable more houses, once successfully wired, to become formalised,” added Hylton.

He also told the House that residents of Riverton City continue to press for a better National Water Commission (NWC) system of both potable water and a reliable sewer service.

“I will continue to advocate for their inclusion in accessing the improved and affordable services available to every community in Western St Andrew. They deserve no less,” declared Hylton, who also pointed to the plight of residents who live near the Sandy Gully which has trees and shrubs growing in some sections and is usually filled with piles of garbage.

“During the last heavy rainfall the blocked waterway caused the water in the gully to rise to a level threatening the essential Spanish Town Road Bridge, as well as the communities upstream and downstream from the bridge,” said Hylton.

He charged that in the aftermath of the recent heavy rainfall both the base of the Sandy Gully and its reinforced concrete walls, on both sides, have been breached, leaving houses on the Dill Path/Waterhouse side of the gully hanging precariously.

According to Hylton, to date neither Prime Minister Andrew Holness — whose St Andrew West Central constituency adjoins his constituency — nor the minister with responsibility for works Robert Morgan has visited the area to appreciate the imminent dangers faced by entire communities should the breach not be addressed quickly.

“The response to my urgent plea on behalf of the residents has been that ‘something will be in the next budget’, meanwhile, the terrified community members are agitating for action to be taken now,” declared Hylton.