Govt. to Spend $2 Billion on Special Projects

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has said that over the next three years, the Government would spend in excess of $2 billion on special projects, to include the refurbishing of markets and the creation of formal vending areas.
The Prime Minister made the disclosure today (May 1), during her contribution to the 2007/08 Budget Debate at Gordon House. Mrs. Simpson Miller said that for this fiscal year, the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) would implement a total of over 200 projects, employing in excess of 10,000 persons and involving the expenditure of $1 billion.
She also disclosed that during this year, the government would be embarking on the first phase of a community development programme designed to target 17 communities in Kingston and St. Andrew.
Two projects, the Bull Bay development project and the Maxfield corridor development project, are to be implemented through a co-ordinated approach involving several government agencies. Other projects to be included under this programme include the refurbishing of public buildings, including schools, river training programmes and the construction of community facilities, such as community centres, basketball and netball courts, and playfields. Mrs. Simpson Miller said these projects were being implemented as part of the government’s commitment to a “people-centred approach to development.”