MINISTER PICKERSGILL OUTLINES PLANS FOR BACK-TO-SCHOOL

Minister Pickersgill makes a point during the Press Conference at his Office. Others in the picture are from left to right: Dr. Fenton Ferguson, Minister of State, Mrs. Genefa Hibbert, Director General, Mr. Richard Azan, Minister of State and Mr. Ivan Anderson, Consultant Engineer, NROCC.

Minister Robert Pickersgill outlined various plans for the opening of the new school year which begins on September 4. Speaking at a press conference at his Maxfield Avenue Office on Wednesday, August 30, he said that back-to-school preparations would revolve around areas of his Ministry’s portfolio including, roads, water, transport and its monitoring.

Starting with water provision for schools that will be affected by water restrictions, the Minister said that the Rapid Response Unit would be making the necessary preparations to truck water to such schools.
“A decision has been taken to redeploy resources from the Southern and Central Regions to augment the fleet in the Kingston & St. Andrew Metropolitan Area. The Rapid Response Unit will truck at nights and on weekends to those schools with adequate storage facilities. We consider 2-3000 gallons as adequate storage facility,” he said.

Additionally, the Minister said that the National Water Commission has started to carry out leak detection at the schools. Information on water conservation will also be shared with administrators to help them make optimal use of the water since no improvement in the water levels was expected in the very near future.

The Minister also noted that the NWC had initiated a number of water management measures for areas and systems that were affected by the low rainfall levels. Those measures include: trucking of water; valve regulation and scheduled rationing of water; diversion of flows from unaffected systems to drought affected ones where possible as well as public education on conversation.

Turning to the matter of public transportation, the Minister said that the Transport Authority will be undertaking operations with a view to the safety of commuters and children in particular on public passenger vehicles. Activities will focus on regulating and enforcing the laws relating to the following offences:
• Causing passengers to be exposed to obscene language
• Exposing passengers to obscene material
• Impeding passengers who are school children, elderly and physically incapacitated
• Impeding passengers from entering Public Passenger Vehicles
• Causing radio/DVD compact discs to be played
• Drinking alcohol on Public Passenger Vehicles
• Disorderly conduct of driver or conductor on Public Passenger Vehicle and
• Causing Stage/Express Carriage to be stationary longer than necessary

The Minister implored parents and teachers to encourage students not to take illegal taxis and buses. He suggested that they should not take those that are heavily tinted, playing music or showing videos, those that fail to stop at designated Bus Stops and Stop Signs and those with bus that are unkempt, loud and vulgar and with conductors that are untidy and riding on then steps.

With respect to JUTC, the Minister said, “The JUTC is fully prepared for the new a school year. Since the opening of the Portmore leg of Highway 2000, there was a reduction in travel times by 20% as well as reduction of 6% in fuel consumption. More trips are also being made along the route.

The Minister also gave a round-up of activities as it pertained to NROCC, NWA and promised repairs to roads in Portmore.

He said that Port Henderson Road was well advanced with asphalting . The condition of the road is vastly improved over its previous state. Work is expected to be completed within the next three weeks.

Passagefort Drive is about 30% complete. Work on the Caymanas Interchange will start in early September of this year. Work at the proposed layby and parking adjacent to the Police Station should begin during October. In the meantime, negotiations are taking place with Bouygues Travaux Publics Jamaica Branch with a view to them carrying out improvement works at the intersections of 9th. Avenue, Eats Avenue and Three Miles. At the same time, three contractors are working on the Asheneim Gully, Tinson Pen Gully and the Bow Tie Gully.