TRELAWNY, Jamaica — Mayor of Falmouth, Councillor Junior Gager, says the Trelawny Municipal Corporation (TMC) has commenced a major clean up exercise in the main towns across the parish of Trelawny as part of preparations for the Jamaica 60 Independence celebrations.

“Right now we are cleaning the main towns across the parish of Trelawny. We have started cleaning and removing vendors from the streets. We are going to continue cleaning and washing the towns. We are also going to be cleaning the drain in preparation for Jamaica 60 celebrations,” Gager told OBSERVER ONLINE.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness mandated members of parliament and councillors in attendance at a recent Jamaica Labour Party Central Executive council meeting at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Rose Hall, St James to make garbage clean-up a priority in their constituencies and divisions ahead of Jamaica’s 60th Independence celebration.

“We cannot be celebrating our 60th anniversary and the country is not clean, so resources have been made available to MPs at the parish level and to the NSWMA. It is absolutely important that the clean-up projects be visible and be meaningful,” said Holness.

“I want every constituency to find those areas, those illegal dumps, those places where people make it a custom to throw their garbage, those open lots that are overgrown and filled with solid waste, and get the trucks in, get your tractors and backhoes in, get your workers out and clean up the place for Independence,” he added.

Meanwhile, the TMC kicked off the holiday celebrations with an Independence Church service at the Seventh-day Adventist Church today (Saturday, July 30).

This will be followed by Emancipation vigil that is set to get underway at the Clark’s Town Primary School on Sunday, July 31.

On Saturday, August 6, there will be the raising of the Independence flag and civic ceremony at Seaboard Street in Falmouth.