Member of Parliament (MP) for East Central St Catherine Alando Terrelonge has joined with residents criticising the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) over the near closure of its Portmore Mall branch in the parish.

The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) MP, in a Twitter thread late Thursday night (March 4), said the decision was made without recognising the unique needs of Portmore residents, who will now have to travel to Spanish Town to meet in-office customer service demands.

“@myJPSonline it is unfortunate that you have decided to close your office in Portmore. Not all decisions should be made in terms of dollars and sense. The hardship to thousands of residents *including elderly without internet access/know-how, to travel to Spanish Town is unthinkable,” he began.

Terrelonge further heeded JPS’ Wednesday statement where it explained that changes in the way most customers conducted business with the utility provider and the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic were large influences in its decision.

“I have noted in your media release that you met some stakeholders. It may have been useful to invite/advise other stakeholders as decisions such as this impact thousands of residents across Portmore,” he added.

Terrelonge felt, however, that there were several extenuating circumstances JPS needed to consider and he was staunchly against the March 8 closure of the Portmore branch.

“On behalf of the residents of EastCentral & my entire Portmore family, it is my hope that you will reconsider the decision to close your Portmore office. At the very least, that you consider the proposals I’ve recommended, which are made in consultation with residents,” the MP wrote on Twitter.

“While the global move to more technology-based platforms is inevitable, a phased approach is recommended. This would have secured the buy-in of more residents, even amongst the 2,500 who you mention still use your walk-in,” he added.

Particularly, Terrelonge highlighted St Catherine’s COVID-19 situation, which is the second-worst islandwide, and the possibility of it deteriorating in the likelihood of more people crowding a single location.

“One would [have] thought that given the surge in COVID-19 cases nationally, and more in the parishes such as St Catherine, that the decision could have been delayed a few months, or until next year, to ease crowding at the Spanish Town office,” the East Central St Catherine MP explained.

According to Terrelonge, a delay in the Portmore Mall location’s closure could have been more appropriately used getting customers au fait with JPS’ digitised services, including online payments.

“This period could have given customers, unfamiliar with the online platforms, time to familiarise themselves with the OS (operating system). It would’ve also given you time to show the capacity of your mobile units & develop customer confidence in the frequency/functionality of a timetable,” he said.

Several Portmore residents, including Mayor Leon Thomas, slammed JPS for the decision and staged a protest in the popular commercial centre as they urged the company to backtrack on plans to close the branch.

Terrelonge’s comments came after residents of St Catherine gathered at the JPS’ Customer Care branch at the Portmore Mall yesterday to protest the utility company’s decision to close the office in their community.

The residents stood in front of the office, baring placards in peaceful protest following the news that JPS has opted to close seven Customer Care offices and go digital, after noting that visits to those sites have decreased dramatically in the last year.