Villagers in Olive Lodge, Holders Hill, St James, on Monday stepped up their demands for the removal of a cell tower erected in the middle of the village last month, despite telecommunications provider Digicel and regulators declaring their intention to find a solution.At the centre of the dispute are fears that radiation from the tower will cause cancer and other health issues, their lead spokeswoman said.Digicel said on Monday that it stood “ready to resolve this matter in a fair, transparent manner in the interest of the public that we serve”, while the government’s Telecommunications Unit said it was “committed to helping to resolve this matter quickly, such that residents will not be adversely affected”.But speaking for the 70 families in the district, retired university professor Dr Jennifer Obidah-Alleyne declared that the only resolution they will entertain is the tower’s removal from their close-knit community.“A resolution would look like the removal of the cell tower,” she told Barbados TODAY, expressing dissatisfaction with the tower’s location being shifted on Friday.“But whereas the cell tower was 30 feet away from Sister Gloria’s house, it is now 45 feet. The recommendation is 65 feet. Where it was 30 feet close to her property, it is now 45 feet, and it is now 54 feet from the house behind it. It was further away from that house [behind it] and closer to Sister Gloria’s house. Now it is 15 feet more away from Sister Gloria’s house, but still not in compliance.
