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A sum of $22.94 million has been allocated to the Planning Model Development and National Development Plan, 'T21', in the 2009/10 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project, which is being implemented by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), aims to prepare a long-term national development plan, along with 31 sector plans, which would result in...

The National Disaster Management-Tropical Storm Gustav Rehabilitation Works has been further aided with the allocation of $1.2 billion. This is contained in the 2009/10 Estimates of Expenditure now before the House of Representatives. Funded by the Caribbean Development Bank and the Government of Jamaica, the main objective of this project, which started in October 2008, is to rehabilitate, restore and...

Jamaicans in the United Kingdom (UK) have started a lobby, in support of the call for the UK Government to review its plans to increase the Air Passenger Duty (APD). The Jamaica Diaspora Movement is sending out letters to British Members of Parliament (MPs), requesting that the UK authorities reconsider its position, given the damage that the APD will cause...

The Transport Authority has stepped up its monitoring and regulatory activities over the last few months to clamp down on illegal operators in the public transport system. The Authority's Managing Director, Daniel Dawes speaking at a press conference held today (April 2) at the Ministry of Transport and Works' Maxfield Avenue office, said that more than 57 regulatory operations have...

The management of the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre has banned the public display or waving of school flags in the facility, during this weekend's Boys' and Girls' Championships at the National Stadium, in the interest of the safety and comfort of commuters using the facility. The Ministry of Transport and Works has sanctioned the decision, which it regards as regrettable, but...

Transport and Works Minister, Mike Henry, after consultations with both the Transport Authority (TA) and the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC), has granted a 30-day extension to JUTC sub-franchise holders within the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region (KMTR), in respect of the deadline for the renewal of their licences. The extension took effect Tuesday(March 31), the expiry date for the then...

The Banana Spring to Spot Valley main road in Eastern St. James is scheduled to be extensively rehabilitated, at a cost of approximately $10 million. This will be undertaken through the collaborative efforts of a number of public and private sector organisations, led by Member of Parliament Edmund Bartlett and the St. James Parish Council. A Memorandum of Understanding outlining...

Transport and Works Minister, Mike Henry, has refuted claims made by head of the National Transport Co-operative Society (NTCS), Ezroy Millwood, that the government's decision to formally wind up the NTCS's operations, within nine months, was reached without dialogue. To the contrary, the minister said that there have been at least six meetings with the NTCS on the issue since...

Commuters who use the Jamaica Urban Transit Company's (JUTC) Premium and Express services will be required to pay more as of next Wednesday, April 1. Corporate Communications Manager at JUTC, Reginald Allen, told JIS News that passengers who pay $60, $80 or $100 to utilise the bus services, will now pay an additional $20; routes that previously cost $120 will...

Several roads and drains in western Jamaica are undergoing major improvement and cleaning, as the National Works Agency (NWA) has embarked on a $30.8 million patching programme, and a $5.1 million road and drainage improvement project. According to NWA Community Relations Officer for the Western Region, Janel Ricketts, the bushing and cleaning of drains along some 132 kilometres of roadway...

In anticipation of the busy summer travel season, Air Jamaica will add two weekly non-stop flights from New York /JFK to Grenada, bringing the airline's total weekly Grenada flights to four. Beginning June 26, this year, Air Jamaica will add a Friday flight; and beginning July 13, the company will add a Monday flight. The airline currently operates two weekly,...

Lost on the road and unsure of the correct route to take? With the launch of Jamaica's first Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) navigation system, getting lost while driving can become a thing of the past. By just plotting in the destination, the digital road map, which was developed by the Mona Geo-informatics Institute (MGI), will recommend the route to be...