Westmoreland councillor planning to take NWC to court

WESTERN BUREAU:

Councillor Rudolph Uter, the minority leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) caucus in the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation (WMC), is contemplating court action against the National Water Commission over the dilapidated conditions in which parochial roads are left following the repair of broken pipelines.

Frustrated and overwhelmed by the poor state of the roads in his Frome division, Uter says he has already consulted a lawyer seeking guidance as to how to proceed in taking legal action against the NWC on behalf of the people in his division.

“I am now having a dialogue with a lawyer because of their (NWC) neglect in coming to fix the parochial roads, which they have caused to deteriorate. The citizens are calling on us, their councillors, they curse us, and even demonstrate over the poor road conditions,” said Uter.

Uter is of the view that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the National Water Commission and the National Works Agency for the repaving of roads dug up by the water company, is not working

The outspoken councillor, who was speaking at last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the WMC, urged the leadership of the corporation to join him in taking the steps required to get justice through the court for residents similarly affected by the road conditions affecting residents in his division.

“I know that there is an arrangement with NWC and NWA, but that is all I have been hearing. The NWC has a responsibility to rehabilitate the roads after they have completed repair works but all they do is throw some marl on it and left it and that is the end of the story,” lamented Uter.

“I am wondering if, as a corporation, we can look into it so that when they neglect their duty, we can take them to court, so that we can get some justice because if we leave it like that, it is going to be business as usual. I think that’s an option as a corporation we should move ahead with,” added Uter.

Savanna-la-Mar Mayor Bertel Moore, the chairman of the WMC, acknowledged Uter’s concerns and promised to consult the corporation’s lawyers for advice on how to proceed, should it become necessary.