By John Myers, Jr. Staff ReporterTHE ACUTE shortage of funds now affecting the Government, has curtailed efforts to restart the $100 million rehabilitation of the Temple Hall main road in St. Andrew.
Last week Bishop Herro Blair, head of the Peace Management Initiative (PMI) which has been integrally involved in the selection of workers for the project, said work should have begun by the end of the week.
He said he had spoken with the contractor, Surrey Paving and Aggregate Company, "and he is mobilising his equipment and everything to get started sometime this week."
However, when The Gleaner visited the area Monday, there were no signs of work taking place. The road remained rugged and large stones lay idle by the roadside. Warning signs that were erected to warn motorists of roadwork in progress, lay flat on the ground.
However, The Gleaner understands that there are no funds to restart the project.
Vando Palmer, manager of communications and customer service at the National Works Agency (NWA), skirted around the specific project but confirmed that cash flows remained a problem.
"There is a general issue with funding, (and) it will affect any project if there is a general problem with funding."
Work on the roadway stretching from Tom's River to Stony Hill, St. Andrew came to an abrupt halt following a triple murder on the work site in September last year.
Three men, said to be supporters of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) were shot and killed when they reportedly went to negotiate for work on the site. The dead men were identified as Glassford Collins, alias 'Ex'; Carlton Crawford, alias 'Pound' and Howard Fuller, all of Stony Hill addresses.
In the meantime, however, the air of fear which circulated in and around the communities of Brandon Hill, Golden Spring and Temple Hall has been lifted.
Bishop Blair said last week that the area was now calm and was satisfied with the efforts being made by his team from the PMI and other agencies to restore peace.
Mr. Palmer also said "in terms of tension, that has been significantly minimised now." He said there is no definite time frame for the restart of the work in light of the present situation.
