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A1 2THE GLEANER, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2014 • www.jamaica-gleaner.com • gleanerjamaicaO jamaicagleaner • NEWS■» ■-.■i v:ITA rebirthBEHIND THE QUAKESNew Island TrafficiAuthority building opensin St Ann’s BayCarl GilchristGleaner WriterA NEW building to house theIsland Traffic Authority (ITA)St Ann’s Bay examination depot was officially opened last Thursday by Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing, Dr Morais Guy.Dr Guy said approximately $12 million was spent on the building, primarily made of containers, and on improving the compound.The upgrade forms part of a plan aimed at improving depots across Jamaica, costing some $38 million this fiscal year, and which should see a renewedsecretary. Audrey Sewell, a new thrust was put into gear which led to work finally being started. So far this fiscal year, workson infrastructure and fencing have been done on four depots, Spanish Town, Swallowfield, Spanish Town Road, and Montego Bay.Petre Williams-RaynorOTHER INITIATIVESContributing EditorITA, the minister said.“This afternoon’s opening is indicative of more than just the unveiling of a new building, new furniture, and a fresh coat of paint. It represents the rebirth of the Island TraffichiAuthority,” Dr Guy noted.Far too many of our depots, and in particular this depot here, have been in a state of disrepair for years.For years, too, lip service was being paid to the upgrading of these facilities, with littleThe minister also disclosed some of the other initiatives to be undertaken in an effort to improve the ITA.These include improving customer service and operating procedures and the use oftechnology to help tackle theperception of corruption.Additionally, the ITA has hired a new audit and compliance manager, Raynard Grindley, whose task is to ensure that the operating standards and financial operations of all 14 depots are above board.WThere is also a plan afoot to install a vehicle management system, which will allow the ITA to electronically transmit and receive data from the TaxAdministration of Jamaica.behind it,” he added.Guy said, with the backing of lie political directorate and irdent support of the permanentThis system will be tested at depots within the next two months. Dr Guy disclosed. Closed circuit television(CCTV) will also be installedat depots over the short term.HILE JAMAICAnears the end of its 106-year wait for a new legal building code, there is still work to be done to ensure itsucceeds in boosting the island’s earthquake readiness.“It is not just to have the code in place and the bill being passed into law, it is to ensure that the other elements are in place,” saidacting director general of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management(ODPEM) Richard Thompson.Those elements, he said, include enforcement.“An enforcement mechanismtois essential, he told The Gleaner. “We all know that, in Jamaica, we have laws up to the hilt, but you need enforcement. The enforcement mechanism would ensure that the codes are essentially adhered to.”Therefore, he said the authorities - including parish councilsand the National Environment and Planning Agency - mustensure that there is adequateAH'#Richard Thompson, acting director general, ODPEM.lr Alcide Jackson the winner front Savanna-la-mar collecting his certificate foreon Cummings, supervisor at Crichton Insurance Agency (Savanna-La-Mat branch). TheDunktey - Linstead Michelle Brown * Ocho Rios and Fahalm Baker - Kingston.Insurance from other winnersINVEST IN YOURSELF••aFAST TRACK YOUR CAREERmanpower to effectively assess and follow up on buildingapplications and permits oncegranted.“Outside of the fact that we need persons of high integrity asofficers of the state, you alsoneed numbers to do effective enforcement. Thompson noted.To realise efficiency in this, hesaid current resource constraintswould have to be overcome. Thompson’s comments followthe Government’s promise tohave the new Building Act, now a bill, become law by the end ofMarch this year. Once passed, itwill herald the new building code.gorised as informal, having been designed or built without professional inputs such as from trained engineers or architects.As such, the island remains at risk of severe and expensive property damage and/or lossassociated with earthquakes.The Haiti quake - with magnitude of 7.0 - devastate^ the French-speaking islandkilling thousands and leavinj billions of dollars in damage.Recent GPS studies sugges the EPGF is capable of generat ing a Mw (moment magnitude7.2-7.3 earthquake - an evenwith more energy than the Mv\ 7.0 Haiti event in 2010 (DeMeti and Wiggins-Grandison, 2007),’the 2011 study said.The A Socio-economicImpact Assessment of the1907-type Earthquake on the Jamaican Economy report ol researchers Rafi Ahmad andPRECARIOUS RESTING PLACEIn addition to training forenforcement officers - some ofwhich has been ongoing - the ODPEM boss said public education would be critical.MEDIA TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTEUp to 70 per cent of Jamaica’sbuildings are currently cate-Kingston, for example, “rests precariously at the western terminus of the Enriquillo PlantainGarden Fault (EPGF) - the same fault that ruptured during the 12 January 2010 Haiti earth quake”, according to the April 2011 research paper titled Assessing Geohazards Near Kingston, Jamaica: Initialresults from chirp profilingThe paper was written by Dr Lyndon Brown, a geophysicist and former head of the Earthquake Unit, together with researchersfrom the University of Texas.Maurice Mason provides furtheinsight into the potential loss.EXTENSIVE DAMAGET R A I N I NQ T HEBESTA Division oftheCPTC. JamaicaCOMPANY WINDING-UP NOTICEThat report, which providec data on the 1993 magnitude 54 quake in Jamaica, said that event left two people dead destroyed 518 homes, and costthe Government $1.2 millionMAR 08Notice is hereby given that a petition for the winding-up of theNON-LINEARabovenamed company, Exclusive Holiday of Elegance Limited by theEDITINGAPR 08Supreme Court of Judicature of Jamaica, was on December 6,2013presented to the Court by ASE Metals NV of 58 De Keyserlei, 2018$35,000.00BASICAnterpen Belgium against Exclusive Holiday of Elegance Limited withDIGITALregistered office at 28 Queens Drive, P.O. Box 85, Montego Bay, St.which “was distributed among the needy and temporary housing was provided”.A hundred schools reported damage, as did the Jamaica Public Service Company (to the tune of $4.65 million). The island’s telecommunication net-James and that the said petition is directed to be heard before theDESIGNCourt sitting at the Supreme Court, Kings Street, Kingston on the 6th$28,000.00day of March, 2014 at 10:00a.m. and any creditor or contributory ofthe said company desirous to support or oppose the making of anorder on the said Petition may appear at the time of the hearing inAPR 30person or by his Attorneys-at-Law for that purpose; and a copy ofthe Petition will be furnished by the undersigned to any creditor orSTILLMAY 26contributory of the said company requiring such copy on paymentPH0T0GDAPHYof the regulated charge for same.VOICE$28,000.00a SPEECHDated the 13th day of February 2014work and roads also suffered damage.Still, an optimistic Thompson said Jamaicans are learning totake earthquake preparednessseriously.People react more when they have experienced something,and, even though we weren’t in Haiti, we saw the images.People were benevolent and they responded to the suffering of our Haitian brothers and(LEVEL 1)NIGEL JONES COMPANYsisters. So it came home to$35,000.00LawappearkTE MEDIA TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE/CPTCPetition must serve on or send by post to Nigel Jones Company,notice in writing of his intention so to do. The notice must stat the37 Arnold Road, Kingston. 5 Tel.: 922-9214-6name and address of the person, or, if a firm, the name and addressJoneswww.medlateehnologyfnstitut©trainlng@cptcjQ mediatechnologyi@mtijamaica Company not later than 4:00p.m. in the afternoon on the 5th dayof March 2014.people,” he said.ODPEM has [since| seen an increase in people doing earthquake drills |and| developing earthquake plans ..., So there is a greater push now as it relates toearthquake preparedness. Justas Gilbert was a catalyst for developments in our hurricanepreparedness and other hydromeifled by the NCTVET, Fully registered by the University Council of Jamaica, the officialaccreditation body for tertiary education in Jamaica.Filed by Nigel Jones Company. Attorneys-at Law for and on behalf of the Petition, whose address for service is Suite 11 Winchester Business Centre. 15 Hope Road. Kingston 10, telephone numbers 908-2207, 908-0589, 745-6745 and 745-9695 and facsimile number: 906-5404. (Attorney No. 4360)teorological events, Haiti is the catalyst for our earthquake preparedness, Thompson added.lwr.gleu ner(a gma iI. com
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Thu, Feb 20, 2014
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