Whither rural development?

EVERALD WARMINGTON, minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, says it makes better economic sense for the government to relocate residents in sparsely developed, remote communities to areas with the infrastructure to support large populations.

Warmington, the de facto works minister whose South West St Catherine constituency consists of a number of remote, rural communities, asserts that it would be more cost effective to relocate small rural towns where “very few people” resided than to spend billions of taxpayers’ dollars to construct roads and bridges to connect them to urban areas.

“[This is] not necessarily [the case] in Western St Thomas, but Jamaica needs to have discussions and think about where we live. There are needs for infrastructure in some very remote areas, [and] some of these communities very few people live in them,” he argued.

The firebrand politician made the remark while on a tour of deplorable roads and communities that lack basic infrastructure in St Thomas Western on Wednesday. Also on the tour was MP James Robertson and the representatives of state agencies such as the National Works Agency, the Jamaica Social Investment Fund, among others.

According to Warmington, it is time for the government to “face [the] reality” and initiate the necessary discussions.

“Because, there are areas where we build bridges for maybe three or four families to go across a river [but], is it wise doing that? Or should we think of relocating these people?” Warmington asked in emphasising his point.

In response to Warmington’s remarks, Robertson said that these concerns were valid points to be taken into consideration.

“What the minister is speaking about is real discussions that must take place, but, thank God, Hagley Gap [and] Penlyne (Castle) don’t fall into that category because we have thousands and thousands of people on the coffee lands and fruitful lands,” he said.

The tour started in Albion to Llandewey, Easington (Ramble Bridge), Riverhead, Richmond Vale through to Richmond Gap, Mount Vernon to Albion Mountain Crossing, Bethel to Ness Castle, Hagley Gap to Penlyne, and Morganville to the Mahogany Vale bridge. Five schools serving the 20 neighbouring districts were en route. Each school had fewer than 100 students. Bethesda Primary and Infant School in Llandewey, Richmond Primary and Infant, Ness Castle Primary, and Minto Primary in Hagley Gap were among them.

Rushell Smith, a resident of Easington, voiced concern about the poor road conditions.

“It stay real bad,” she complained, pointing out that the terrible condition of the road is damaging her Toyota Probox, which she uses to run taxi.

“Every week me haffi buy parts for it because the road stay bad,” she lamented, noting that she spends as much as $15,000 on car parts on a weekly basis, plus the mechanic’s fees.

“Mr James haffi do likkle better,” she said of her MP.

With no streetlights in the area, Smith remarked that drivers approaching the bridge are forced to “peep round” to avoid collisions.

Another resident claimed that cars often get stuck between the gaps in the wooden slaths that cover the surface of the bridge, which makes it unsafe especially at night.

“See it start rotten out again,” he said, pointing to the developing cracks and visible regions of weakness.

Warmington stated that from what he had seen on the tour, “a whole lot of funds” is needed to remedy the severity of the infrastructural difficiencies, “as most of the road structures were in very bad condition”.

He, however, disclosed that a $51-million contract has been awarded to fix the Cod Pen bridge in Llandewey that has been collapsing and that works will commence in short order.

He further stated that he has instructed members of the economic growth ministry to expedite the procurement process for the Easington bridge.

asha.wilks@gleanerjm.com