Gov’t Pledges Support for Downtown Kingston Fire Victims

The Government will be assisting residents in downtown Kingston who were displaced by recent fires which destroyed their homes.

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, made the commitment during his visit to the victims who reside in the constituencies of Kingston Western and Kingston Central on Tuesday (March 4).

The areas toured included Love Lane in Fletcher’s Land, Kingston Western, and Fleet Street and Ladd Lane in Kingston Central.

“We are going to assist those persons… [and] we are going to try and do it as quickly as possible,” Prime Minister Holness assured.

He noted that the intervention, “is not something that can happen overnight”, pointing out that there are several steps that need to be taken before any substantial rebuilding or assistance can occur.

“Before we can assist in any meaningful way, other than the humanitarian assistance, which is already in train, [for] the building assistance, we have to determine the ownership of the land… and then we have to do some social investigation into the circumstances of the persons to determine the extent to which we can help,” Prime Minister Holness explained.

He emphasised that the Government cannot build on any property without knowing who owns it.

“We have to establish ownership. Once ownership is established, then we can determine what we can do, whether it is to replace a building or to give a grant,” Dr. Holness stated.

Addressing concerns regarding individuals living on land they do not own or have a certificate of title, the Prime Minister indicated that the Government would still offer support. However, it would be with building material or some other form of assistance.

“We understand from the [Members] of Parliament that the land situation is being assessed [to determine whether those persons] do have titles and permission. So for those that don’t have the title, or they know who the owners are, then we will seek to get permission from the owners to build,” he further informed.

Dr. Holness also underscored the Government’s commitment to ensuring that property rights are respected throughout the process.

“The first thing is to establish who owns the land so that the Government… is not violating people’s property rights by going on to people’s land and doing whatever we choose… that’s not how we operate,” he said.

Prime Minister Holness was accompanied by the Members of Parliament, Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, who represents Kingston Western, and Kingston Central’s representative, Donovan Williams.