Public defender retains lawyer for Hanover residents
June 15, 2006
PUBLIC Defender Howard Hamilton has retained the services of Attorney-at-law Lord Anthony Gifford, who will assist Hanover residents in their effort to ensure that the parish's water supply is not likely to be polluted by the soon-to-be-opened cemetery at Burnt Ground.
For the last 14 months, the Ramble Community Development Committee has been battling to get the relevant government agencies to do what the law requires to ensure that the Shettlewood Spring water supply - which serves at least 33 communities in Hanover and Westmoreland - will not be polluted by underground seepage of fluids from the cemetery.
Hamilton told the Observer that the decision to retain counsel for the committee was prompted by a letter from its chairman, Ambleton Wray, who had written to him expressing the residents' fears of the threat that the cemetery might pose to their water supply.
Hamilton said he had examined the matter and got "additional scientific reports, which seemed to suggest that they did have a case".
The public defender said he subsequently wrote to the Ministry of Finance requesting funds to retain counsel because he regarded the matter "as a constitutional violation of the rights of the residents".
Added Hamilton: "If a matter is potentially life-threatening, that is definitely constitutional. And so the ministry replied, accepting my proposals and provided me funds sufficient to retain counsel - which I have."...
Author: Lloyd Williams
Source: Jamaica Observer
