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Complaint filed with police regarding recent Rio Cobre fish kill

Kestonard Gordon, Vice Chairman of the St. Catherine Parish Development Committee
 
A complaint has reportedly been filed with the Spanish Town Police in St. Catherine in relation to last month's major fish kill in the Rio Cobre.
 
Kestonard Gordon, Vice-Chairman of the St. Catherine Parish Development Committee, says the report was made on Tuesday following a meeting with a group of constitutional attorneys, Public Defender Herbert McKenzie and representatives of Jamaica Environment Trust (JET).
 
The Public Defender told Radio Jamaica News that the meeting was requested by the concerned residents.
 
Mr. McKenzie said the concerns of the group were contemplated and suggestions made.
 
One of the suggestions was the involvement of the police.
 
Kestonard Gordon said that suggestion was followed and the police were asked to investigate the "operational practices and procedures of Windalco" based on a complaint of malicious destruction of property and violation of the people's constitutional rights.  
 
However, head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force's Corporate Communications Unit, Senior Superintendent of Police Stephanie Lindsay has said the issue is not one the police would pursue.
 
SSP Lindsay explained that the matter is the jurisdiction of the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA).
 
In the interim, Mr. Gordon said the process of seeking an injunction against Windalco has started. 
 
He said the move is aimed at temporarily stopping the company's operations "until they are able to satisfy the powers that be that they have rectified the situation on their property".
 
Mr. Gordon said interested parties are already being engaged and affidavits being signed in the bid for an injunction.  
 
But the St. Catherine Parish Development Committee has put on hold a plan to initiate legal action against the National Environment and Planning Agency to force it to enforce regulations for past breaches by Windalco, which caused pollution.
 
Mr. Gordon said the development committee is waiting to hear whether Windalco's licence will be suspended.
 
A notice of intention to suspend has been served on the company.
 


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