KINGSTON, Jamaica — Shadow Minister of Environment and Climate Resilience Omar Newell has welcomed the National Environment and Planning Agency’s (NEPA) decision to issue an enforcement notice halting construction of fish ponds at Barking Lodge, St Thomas, until the required application is submitted and reviewed.

Newell said NEPA’s action demonstrated the importance of enforcing Jamaica’s environmental and planning laws fairly and consistently.

“This sends an important message that our environmental and planning laws apply equally to everyone, regardless of position or influence. Sustainable development must always take place within the framework of the law, and where citizens raise legitimate concerns, those concerns deserve to be addressed fairly and transparently,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.