A PLAN TO regularise the use of containers for commercial vending at Newport West Port Bustamante was formalised yesterday at a meeting between Mayor of Kingston Desmond McKenzie and the operators.
The meeting was requested by the container operators, after Mayor McKenzie's warning that he would move to have them regularised as they were breaching building and town planning rules.
Mayor McKenzie toured Newport West with officials of the Jamaica Public Service Company and the National Water Commission to observe instances where the containers had been given legitimate water and electricity services, despite not having official documentation from the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation's (KSAC) building and town planning department.
COMPROMISE
The operators requested the meeting with the mayor in a bid to work out a compromise which would allow them to continue operating after legitimising their operations.
Following talks the parties agreed on Wednesday that the mayor would visit the area again on Monday, during which he will ask the owners to provide the KSAC with information such as their names, places of operation and whether they have food handler's permits.
DISCUSSIONS
In the meantime, a committee comprising representatives of both the KSAC and the operators, chaired by Councillor Answerd Ramcharran, chairman of the KSAC commercial services committee, will be appointed to hold continuing discussions toward reaching a mutually acceptable agreement on the matter.
The mayor, however, warned that he would not accept any expansion of business in the area and told those attending the meeting to ensure that no new outlets were to be opened.
"I am not here to drive anybody out of business, or deprive you of a livelihood so we will not take any action now to shutdown your business. But, I want the committee to work out a schedule to meet a deadline of the end of January, next year," the mayor said.
He added that the committee would follow up on a proposal from the operators that they seek a meeting with owners of private properties in the area from which they can operate the containers.
He said that there was also a possibility that some of the land may be owned by the KSAC, in which case the corporation could offer them to be used by the owners.
Mayor McKenzie said that while he acknowledged the need for people to seek to earn an honest living, the KSAC could not turn a blind eye to indiscipline and illegality.
