By Devon Evans, Gleaner WriterOCHO RIOS, St. Ann:
FOUR MEN were arrested and charged by the St. Ann police yesterday for breaches of the National Solid Waste Management Act, after they were allegedly caught taking part in a massive roadblock.
They have been identified as 22-year-old Oniel Grant; Michael Douglas, 17; Dwayne Francis, 18; and Kenroy Higgins, 20; all of Mount Pleasant and Mount Olivet addresses in St. Ann.
They are booked to appear
in the St. Ann's Bay Resident Magistrate's Court on Thursday, January 13.
The roadblocks, which were reportedly mounted by residents of Mount Olivet and Mount Pleasant districts in north west St. Ann, in protest against poor road conditions and a lack of running water, lasted for over nine hours and severely inconvenienced hundreds of persons, including students on their way to school.
NO PIPED WATER
The residents reported that for over 16 years, they have been calling on the authorities to have the roads in the two districts properly rehabilitated and for the area to be provided with piped water. Their appeals have fallen on deaf ears.
The residents, some bearing placards, blocked the busy Brown's Town to Runaway Bay main road at the junction adjoining the Discovery Bay to Dumbarton main road, curtailing the flow of traffic leading into Brown's Town from the north coast.
Scores of students at the Brown's Town Community College, who reportedly had CXC exams scheduled for yesterday, either arrived late or missed their papers.
When some motorists tried to use the road through Keith district, some of the protesters went into the district and blocked that road
as well. This action prompted Mayor of St. Ann's Bay, Delroy Giscombe, to charge that the protest was politically motivated.
The mayor said a certain set of PNP activists from North West St. Ann were organising the roadblock in an effort to make things uncomfortable for sitting Member of Parliament, Verna Parchment. Mayor Giscombe, who along with Mrs. Parchment addressed the residents at the scene of the roadblock, said that while he acknowledged that the roads were in a bad state, the residents need to remember that they have been in that condition long before either he or the MP came to office.
He said the roads are owned by the Parish Council, but that the council does not have the funds to undertake any major repairs. In relation to the demand for water, the mayor said the council was unable to adequately address the matter because of a serious cash flow problem. He promised, however, that some remedial work will be done on the roads starting Wednesday.
