John Myers, Jr. and Rasbert Turner, Staff Reporter and Gleaner Writer
Workers from the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation removing illegal billboards and signs from business places in Hagley Park Plaza in St. Andrew on Sunday. - IAN ALLEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
THE MAYORS of Kingston and Spanish Town have embarked on a drive to rid their parishes of illegal activities since Sunday.
Kingston's Mayor, Desmond McKenzie again signalled the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation's (KSAC) zero-tolerance approach against business operators who remain delinquent in paying their local government levy for erecting advertising signs in the city with the demolition of several billboards and signs.
SIGNS REMOVED
One operation, which began about 11: 00 a.m. at the Hagley Park Plaza in St. Andrew, saw signs being removed from the front of several shops in the plaza by the KSAC team. Mayor McKenzie said since the operation began in downtown Kingston, compliance had grown to 75 per cent. However, "Since then, people have taken it for granted and continue to ignore the authority that is vested in the KSAC as it relates to advertising in the capital city."
The mayor said the KSAC was losing in excess of $175 million in revenues annually as a result of the non-compliance of business operators.
He said it cost as little as $6,000 per year, depending on the type of sign, to erect an advertising sign in the Corporate Area.
Sunday's exercise, the Mayor said, "is the start of a three-week drive that will be on every Sunday."
The drive will focus on billboards, dancehall posters and also any illegal shacks or whatever structures are put on sidewalks by business operators, he said.
The Mayor said business operators should know that it is their responsibility to come into the KSAC to pay for their advertising signs.
"We will not, in this round ... be exercising any discretion whatsoever, enough is enough," he warned.
STALLS DEMOLISHED
Meanwhile, several vendors along Burke and Oxford roads in Spanish Town, St. Catherine, who had failed to comply with a request from the St. Catherine Parish Council to leave streets, had their stalls demolished by members of the Island's Special Constabulary Force (ISCF) and personnel from the St. Catherine Parish Council.
The operation, which started about 4:30 a.m., saw the police demolishing and removing stalls along the road. Several vendors who turned up managed to save portions of their stalls.
Mayor of Spanish Town Dr. Raymoth Notice, insisted that the people have to be removed from the streets.
"The time has come for them to remove from the streets and we are making sure it is done in an orderly fashion," he said.
