Norman Scott, Chairman of the St. Catherine Municipal Corporation, has said he is prepared to seek an injunction to halt the long-standing controversial expansion of Dovecot Memorial Park.
Mayor Scott said the municipal corporation issued a stop order to Kumanda Park Limited, operators of Dovecot Memorial Park about two weeks ago when it got wind that at least 15 burials had taken place.
A permit issued by the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) allows for expansion close to residential areas like Mercury Gardens, and St. John's Heights.
But Mr. Scott said the operators are in breach and should not be allowed to continue because they held burials without getting permission and did so despite being issued a stop notice.
He said the municipal corporation will "have to take [the matter] to the courts", but in the interim, the Health Department should invoke measures that will prevent further burials.
Residents staged a protest outside the burial site on Monday morning to express concern about the safety of underground water systems.
One of the protesters asserted that 12 wells are within two kilometres around the proposed site of expansion of the cemetery while more than 30 wells are within a further five kilometres of the area.
She argued that is was not a case of if the water in the area will be contaminated as a result of the work, but a matter of when.
She said an impact assessment of the work being carried out by Kumanda Park indicated that test wells should be dug and tested.
However, the resident lamented that the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) gave permission for this despite the agency having "no mechanism in place to either test these wells or to monitor the testing of the wells".
