PM says drains to get attention in phase two of mitigation programme

























Opposition MPs, led by their leader Portia Simpson Miller (foreground, right) about to walk out of Parliament, yesterday.




PRIME Minister Andrew Holness yesterday announced an additional $200-million programme for members of Parliament to improve their constituency road infrastructure.



He said that the money identified in the current mitigation programme was not sufficient to mitigate the island’s potential flood risk, consequently he has asked the Road Maintenance Fund (RMF) and the Ministry of Tourism, through the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), to make additional provisions.



“We are expecting to get, by tomorrow (today), approval between both agencies for an additional $200 million to bolster the programme,” he said.



Holness made the announcement in a statement to the House of Representatives yesterday on the Government’s multimillion-dollar bushing programme, which the Opposition claimed was used to get votes in the November 28 local government election.





In his statement, which came at the ending of yesterday’s sitting of the House, Holness clarified issues such as the objective of the programme, and how much money has been and will be spent on it.



However, by this time the Opposition had walked out of the chamber, leaving the proceedings entirely in the hands of government members who proceeded to complete the agenda.



The walk-out followed the failure of Leader of Opposition Business Phillip Paulwell, and Leader of the House Derrick Smith to agree on how to proceed with the issue of a statement from Holness on the controversial programme.



It also followed a lengthy period of tributes to the late Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, from both sides of the chamber, while students of Port Antonio High School and the Knox College looked on from the gallery.



Paulwell argued that there had been no response from the Government to a letter from Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller on the programme, and that he was not satisfied with the response he had received from Leader of the House Derrick Smith to his request for a statement.



The Opposition walked out after an attempt by Speaker Pearnel Charles to cool tempers and allow Smith and Paulwell to resolve the issues quietly, fell through. Following the walk-out the House proceeded to complete its agenda, which ended with the statement from Holness on the bushing programme.



Holness said that an announcement was made by Minister of State Everald Warmington in the House from November, about the mitigation programme which would involved de-bushing, drain cleaning and some amount of patching.



He said that before the local government elections, and based on the complaints from the Opposition about the spending on the programme, he had met with the CEO of the National Works Agency and the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, for a comprehensive report.



The prime minister said yesterday that the aspersions being cast on the programme were unfair and unjust, but said that the Government was confident that the programme could withstand any scrutiny. He also stated that the Government recognised the need for an inclusive approach of governance in Jamaica, hence his decision to expand the programme.



“Consequently, I have directed the NWA to make appropriate structural changes in the implementation of the programme, while continuing to maximise efficiency and value for money,” Holness said.



He said that in the coming days, the NWA will be moving to implement the second phase of the programme, noting that the de-bushing and drain- cleaning aspects were designed to address the dangers posed to public health and safety by the continuous rainfall in recent months.



“To date $290 million have been certified for de-bushing and drain-cleaning works across all 14 parishes, which would include all constituencies,” he told the House.



He added that the second phase will see greater importance being placed on the cleaning of drains, rather than the bushing of verges, and approximately 216 critical roads and culverts have been identified for priority cleaning.



He said that the need for the additional funding was based on representations from the NWA, as supported by the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation.



He said that the additional funds would not only be spent on drain cleaning, but on patching and repairs to some main roads.



Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/PM-says-drains-to-get-attention-in-phase-two-of-mitigation-programme_82878





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