LUCIA--Opposition leader Philip J. Pierre has lamented the removal of the Distress Support Fund, following a visit to the site of the recent Rose Hill fire, a release from the Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) said on Thursday.
The SLP Political Leader and Leader of the Opposition paid a visit to the site of the fire on the same day, to view first-hand the damage suffered by the unfortunate residents of Rose Hill at a time of year when most people should be celebrating the start of a new year and looking forward with optimism to fulfilling some of their hopes and aspirations in the coming months, according to the release.
Pierre expressed his sadness that the Distress Support Fund which had been established by the government of the SLP, was eliminated by the Allen Chastanet Administration with no regard for the critical role that such a fund was intended to play during such events, it said.
“The day that the Labour Party returns to office the Distress Support Fund which was in the region of EC $500,000 yearly for the purpose of helping fire victims, will be reinstituted and the annual allocation increased,” Pierre was quoted as saying.
“We have a responsibility to provide relief to the less fortunate people among us who do not have the means to provide property insurance to protect themselves from such disasters,” he stated.
According to Thursday’s release, the SLP expresses its deepest sympathy to families affected by the devastating fire which ravaged several homes in Rose Hill, Castries, in the early hours of New Year’s Day, January 1. ~ St. Lucia Times ~
