LUCEA:
LESTER CROOKS, Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Councillor for Riverside Division in Hanover, has thrown his support behind residents of Askenish who have expressed grave concern about the closure of the town's post office for the past nine months.
"People are getting weary and are planning to take to the streets, if it is not reopened. We need the post office, it is important and we need it urgently," said Lester Crooks in disgust.
They also complain that letters sent to them through the Lucea Post Office are being re-directed to Dias and other post offices.
One resident told The Gleaner that her daughter sent her a registered letter from abroad with money to pay bills. The letter was at the post office for three months resulting in disconnection of her electricity.
NIGHTMARE FOR THE ELDERLY
Residents say that it is a nightmare for them, especially the elderly who are left with no alternative but to go to Lucea, which is 10 miles away, for the collection of mail, and all their other businesses. They say it is expensive to travel to Lucea and they claim it is very difficult to collect mail at the post office.
One elderly woman said when she goes to the Lucea Post Office, the Post Mistress says she did not know her and as a result she can't get her letters because she has no acceptable IDs.
Sources told The Gleaner that the building where the Askenish Post Office is located is privately owned and the government has had to pay rent for several years. However the owner has refused to fix it without an increase in rent.
When The Gleaner visited the premises recently, the bathroom was in a deplorable state with the toilet caved in and broken wooden floor boards. The building was also in need of a paint job.
Meanwhile, the circumstances that lead to the closure of the Askenish Post Office remain grave. A major land slippage two years ago rendered the building a safety hazard.
"The post office had been leaning before the land slippage. It is also a very old structure, as a matter of fact, it became dangerous after the land slippage two years ago. Because of this the bathroom sunk. Persons had to tiptoe through the building to avoid falling through rotting boards. This is a threat to life as well as it is very difficult for us in Askenish to survive without a post office", said Daciann Davidson.
