Says complaints included sexual harassment and drunken raftsmen
The Tourism Product Development Company Limited (TPDCo) has confirmed that it closed down the rafting operations on the White River in St Ann, this morning.
It says that the actions come after several efforts to get raftsmen and operators to stop their illegal operations. TPDCo says police visited the site and requested that operators voluntarily remove their rafts by last week Tuesday, March 20, 2023. However this was to no avail.
TPDCO says the move against illegal rafting “comes after many consultations with offending parties and a myriad of complaints from visitors and stakeholders. Among the complaints are that of sexual harassment, raftsmen operating in a drunken state, other criminal activities, and a prolonged breach of the River Rafting Act.”
TPDCo said it partnered with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) in terminating the illegal activities. The operation also included closure notice signs being posted, advising the general public that the section of the White River under the bridge is closed to unlicenced activities by order of the River Rafting Authority which “regulates and controls river rafting in Jamaica.”
TPDCO says this has been a longstanding issue and the action comes after several consultation meetings with operators undertaking illegal activities where they were informed of the illegality of their operations and the intention of the authorities to have the activities terminated.
Other public bodies including the National Environment & Planning Agency (NEPA) and the St Ann Municipal Corporation have also served warning and enforcement notices on the illegal operators from as early as October 2022.
