MANDEVILLE, Manchester:

Residents of Manchester got the opportunity to air their views on the recent application for a tariff increase by the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS), at a forum held on Wednesday at the Ridgemount United Church in Mandeville.

The session, organised by the Office of Utilities Regulations (OUR), was part of a series of consultations on the tariff application being held islandwide under the theme 'Regulating Utilities for the Benefit of All'. The aim is to afford citizens the opportunity to examine the JPS's application and to hear the reasons for any upward adjustment in rates at this time.

Chief Executive Officer of JPS, Damian Obiglio, in defending the need for the increase, said that it would enable the company to shed much of its $25 billion debt, which it is currently servicing, and put the company in a position to upgrade much of its generating systems.

Seek financing

The residents, in stating that the increase was unfair, proposed that the JPS seek financing for its development rather than passing it on to customers. They also called for measures to increase efficiency in the delivering of electricity.

Meanwhile, in response to questions as to how communities could generate their own electricity, director of consumer and public affairs at OUR, David Geddes, said that while this has been done in the case of water, "generation of electricity is more complex and that would have to be discussed, bearing in mind that the JPS has a licence that we must tread carefully with."

OUR will hold the final consultation on the proposed tariff increase on April 28, at the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) auditorium in Kingston starting at 5:15 p.m. Two other consultations have been held in Port Antonio and Montego Bay.