PORT MARIA, St Mary — As of this week, the municipal police in Port Maria will be crackin
g down on illegal street vending.

According to chairman of the St Mary Municipal Corporation Fitzroy Wilson, this is one of the steps being taken to clean up the town as part of measures to withstand the current hurricane season.

Wilson, the Mayor of Port Maria, told the Jamaica Observer that he is concerned about the volume of garbage street vending generates.

“The market is there for them to use. It has space and, as of next week, stricter actions will be taken,” said Wilson on Sunday during a clean-up of the town done by the corporation.

“We cannot keep using taxpayers’ money to be clearing garbage that the vendors fail to [properly dispose of],” Wilson insisted.

Some members of the crew who cleaned the streets of Port Maria on Sunday. (Photo: Ingrid Henry)

Wilson’s comments were part of his wider appeal for the general public to properly dispose of waste and keep the drains free to handle water from increased rainfall, thereby minimising flooding. The mayor called for a return to civic pride.

“[Even] if the garbage bin and skip is there, the garbage is on the ground. It is not a need for more garbage receptacles, but more of users having pride in their disposal. The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) collects garbage daily and it is a shame how our people dispose of it,” he told the Observer.

One vendor, who was watching Sunday’s clean-up, expressed appreciation for the effort being made.

“If they don’t do it the people complain saying the Government is not working and when they are doing it they complain that they are stopping them from making a dollar. They don’t remember that Port Maria is a flood-prone area,” said the man who identified himself as ‘Fruity’, a nod to the items he sells.

Workers remove garbage from the streets of Port Maria during Sunday’s clean-up effort. (Photo: Ingrid Henry)

Sunday’s clean-up was done in collaboration with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) and NSWMA. Wilson said it served two purposes: restoring cleanliness to the parish capital and clearing drains.

Stressing that the clean-up is an ongoing process being undertaken by other councillors in their divisions, the mayor said similar exercises are also expected to take place in Oracabessa and Annotto Bay.

He is confident that St Mary is ready in the event of a hurricane even though he spoke of a need for more supplies.

“We are doing all the necessary things to be in place. Looking at our shelters currently, there is a training exercise for shelter managers underway,” he said.

“What we need are more supplies, such as blankets,” the mayor added.