Tweet
Non payment of utility bills in inner cities part of a wider disease – Chang
The Minister of Water and Housing says formal society is to be blamed for the culture that prompts people in the inner city to refuse to pay for utilities.
On the weekend, reports surfaced that very few persons in the West Kingston enclave of Tivoli Gardens pay for electricity and water.
On Tuesday, Dr. Horace Chang declared that residents of these communities often feel alienated from the rest of society and so tend to deviate from the norm.
He says as the residents of Tivoli Gardens seek to rebuild their lives, it is an opportune time for the government to change this attitude.
“Most of these people are willing to pay (utilitiy bills). One of the problems that we face is that the formal side of the economy has failed many of these people and that’s why the response has to be wholistic and not just a security operation.
“We have to not only give these people a sense of belonging but also hope and get them engaged in the normal process. The lack of water and the non payment of light (bills) are all symptoms of a wider disease that we have to correct,” Dr. Chang said.
Under the protection of the security forces on Monday, workers from the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) and the National Water Commission disconnected the services of several businesses in the downtown Kingston area, for theft or non-payment of bills.
The JPS also removed throw-up lines on their wires.
For several years, the utility companies have complained that they have lost millions in revenue due to stolen use of the utilities and the fact that their employees have been afraid to venture into these areas to undertake disconnections.
The Minister of Water and Housing says formal society is to be blamed for the culture that prompts people in the inner city to refuse to pay for utilities.
On the weekend, reports surfaced that very few persons in the West Kingston enclave of Tivoli Gardens pay for electricity and water.
On Tuesday, Dr. Horace Chang declared that residents of these communities often feel alienated from the rest of society and so tend to deviate from the norm.
He says as the residents of Tivoli Gardens seek to rebuild their lives, it is an opportune time for the government to change this attitude.
“Most of these people are willing to pay (utilitiy bills). One of the problems that we face is that the formal side of the economy has failed many of these people and that’s why the response has to be wholistic and not just a security operation.
“We have to not only give these people a sense of belonging but also hope and get them engaged in the normal process. The lack of water and the non payment of light (bills) are all symptoms of a wider disease that we have to correct,” Dr. Chang said.
Under the protection of the security forces on Monday, workers from the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) and the National Water Commission disconnected the services of several businesses in the downtown Kingston area, for theft or non-payment of bills.
The JPS also removed throw-up lines on their wires.
For several years, the utility companies have complained that they have lost millions in revenue due to stolen use of the utilities and the fact that their employees have been afraid to venture into these areas to undertake disconnections.
Comment