The National Housing Trust (NHT) has indicated that it has compensated residents who were affected by flooding last year at its Ruthven Towers apartment complex in New Kingston.

The entity’s managing director, Martin Miller, told today’s (March 1) sitting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives, that the flood-damaged vehicles of 11 of the 14 persons who were directly affected, were replaced by the NHT.

This undertaking cost some $44 million, which was partly funded by the Trust and its insurance company. Miller also gave the commitment to “follow through” with the remaining three residents.

In the meantime, he informed that the entrance to the development has been redesigned.

Additionally, he said that at the completion of the next phase of the development, there will be another entrance, “so the solution as it is now, should there be any reoccurrence in another two months or so in terms of the same level of flooding, then there should be no water entering from that section, because we will be replacing that area with a wall”.

Construction on this is expected to commence in another three weeks, said Miller, who also gave his assurance that “all those issues have been settled” in relation to the entirety of the situation.

The Government had previously stated that the Ruthven Towers were created to provide affordable housing for Jamaicans. But its establishment led to much controversy and was criticised for its J$40 million price point, with many citizens stating that units were too expensive.

Despite complaints, the Government is now in the process of creating phase two of the Towers, with promise to reduce the price point per unit.

– JIS