Omar Anderson, Gleaner Writer
IT WILL cost close to $1 billion to rehabilitate roads and clean drains and gullies in the Corporate Area following last week's heavy rains, says Kingston Mayor Desmond McKenzie.
A total of $732.7 million is required to repair a total of 530 roads, while another $138.8 million will be needed to clean a total of 100 drains and gullies.
However, Mr. McKenzie has warned that the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC), was not optimistic that the roads and gullies would be given swift attention, as successive appeals to Central Government for funding have been ignored.
Citing a document received from the Ministry of Local Government, earlier this week, the mayor said the letter directed the KSAC to use monthly, its $8 million disbursement from the Parochial Revenue Fund to
fix roads and clean drains and gullies.
However, he said the $8 million could hardly repair roads in two People's National Party divisions in which roads were badly damaged.
"What we have put on paper will go nowhere," Mr. McKenzie said, while speaking at a press briefing at the KSAC's downtown Kingston office yesterday. "This Government is not going to give us anything at all as it relates to funding to carry out any repairs."
The mayor said he wanted the public to know from now as, "when the frustration of the people in the Corporate Area reaches boiling point, I don't want them to say it is the fault of the KSAC, that they (Government) gave us money."
