Greene THE KINGSTON and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) is still "not in a position to start the physical removal" of vendors from the downtown shopping areas of Kingston, according to Town Clerk Errol Greene.
Vital equipment required for the clean-up, including vehicles, have yet to be acquired, storage space for vendors' goods has yet to be finalised and recruitment of staff for the removal has not been completed.
Partly to blame for the delay is the weather, according to Mr. Greene, who told The Gleaner this week that the rain had "set us back". However, he was keen to emphasise that a street clean-up planned for September 14 and 15 had gone ahead on Church, King and Orange streets and South Parade, and the vendor removal was still high on the agenda.
President of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, Oliver Clarke, yesterday reiterated his support for the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce's push for the renovation of the area, telling members of the downtown Kingston Rotary Club that "the management of downtown Kingston has collapsed.
"The management of our urban centres is poor to abominable," he said. "Thought must be given to putting the local councils into some form of receivership in order that major improvements can be carried out quickly and the councils re-established."
"The Parliament of our country is now sited within half a mile of an area over which the Government appears to have no sovereignty," he continued. "This is more important to deal with than constitutional reform."
"Put it at the top of the agenda," he concluded, "that is what the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce is trying to do."
On September 2, the KSAC published an advertisement in The Gleaner notifying the public that vending on Church, King and Orange streets was illegal and penalties would be dealt out to those contravening the rules.
On September 10, the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC) shut down most of the merchant areas downtown in protest against deteriorating conditions and lawlessness and proposed a complete renovation of the area in line with modern city standards.
Mr. Greene stated then that a plan to clean up the area was being implemented, but the Chamber in reply expressed doubts about the commitment of Government to find a long-term solution. Private discussions have since been held between the Ministry of Local Government and members of the JCC urban renewal committee which have been "reasonably positive", according to JCC president, Michael Ammar, Jr.
However, sources at the Chamber have expressed concern about the lack of swift action by the KSAC in response to the vendors and have predicted that the upcoming election will stall further action.
"We are confident that once the election is out of the way, something will be happening," Mr. Ammar said, noting that the Chamber was sending a letter to the Town Clerk regarding the "planned implementation" of their vendor removal plan.
