The Government has allocated another $586.4 million to continue work on 44 kilometres of roads in St. Mary and St. Ann under the Road Rehabilitation Project II. The project, which was initiated in April 2017, entails repairing the 13.6-kilometre roadway from Toms River to Broadgate, and 14.8 kilometres between Broadgate and Agualta Vale in St. Mary, and the 15-kilometre Alexandria...

Construction of the Montego Bay, Yallahs and Port Maria fire stations are to commence in the 2019/2020 fiscal year. This will be facilitated under the Jamaica Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project, for which $1.13 billion has been allocated in the 2019/2020 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House. The money will also be used to commence coastal revetment works at Port...

The Government has allocated some $28 million in the 2019/20 fiscal year to complete construction of two drop-in centres for homeless persons in the parishes of St. Thomas and Trelawny. The money has been set aside in the 2019/20 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. Under the Assistance to Homeless (Street Project), which is being implemented by...

The Government will undertake a comprehensive national survey of squatter settlements to accurately ascertain the extent of squatting in the country. This was disclosed by Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, who delivered the Throne Speech at the ceremonial opening of Parliament on Thursday (February 14) for the 2019/2020 Fiscal Year, under the theme ‘In Partnership towards...

The Government will spend $498 million to increase the fleet and capacity of the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) to be able to adequately respond to emergencies. The sum has been set aside in the 2019/20 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. Under the Acquisition of Fixed Assets Project, which is being implemented by the JFB, an agency...

During the new legislative year, the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development will give priority attention to procuring 100 garbage-collection units for the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA). “This will significantly broaden the capacity of the agency, and tremendously improve responsiveness,” said Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, as he delivered the Throne Speech in...

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) is to host public and private consultations soon, on a draft of its electrical and electronic (e-waste) regulations. When signed into the law, the regulations will require traders of computers, printers, televisions, mobile phones and refrigerators to take them back at end-of-life and dispose of them in an environmentally sound manner. Senior Investigator...