More than a month following the collapse occurred on the Palín-Escuintla highway, the Coordinating Committee of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial and Financial Associations (Cacif) issued a statement in which it requests President Bernardo Arévalo to instruct the respective entities to expedite actions on the route.
“We urge the President of the Republic to assume leadership and instruct the Ministry of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing (CIV) and other institutions to urgently carry out the actions necessary to reconstruct the highway”reads the message.
They also criticise the fact that following five weeks, the CIV has not presented a concrete work plan or a mechanism through which the necessary support will be provided to the affected business sector.
“The Ministry of Communications has not presented a work plan, nor the necessary business support mechanism. We appreciate the collaboration of Conred, the Government of Escuintla and the Ministry of Defense, but without a clear path from the Ministry of Communications, we cannot move forward,” Cacif added.
Minister Félix Alvarado, head of the portfolio, said in a video that they have been working on the route and making the relevant arrangements. He reiterated that they have the support of the Roads Department, the Corps of Engineers and businessmen in the area.
“Not only has all the debris removal and water drainage been done, but also The pipe was repaired and a second pipe is being installed to increase the depth of the drain.”Alvarado commented.
On the other hand, the position of the Presidency was requested, but it was not possible to obtain it by the time this note was closed.
Agreement
In a meeting with the Minister of Communications, his team and five business chambers, it was agreed that the personnel of the Army Corps of Engineers (CIE) would be in charge of the repair work, and the CIV, of the landslide. In addition, the contingency plan would consist of using alternative routes such as RN-14 and the old route to Escuintla.
The participating chambers were the Foundation for the Development of Guatemala (Fundesa), the Chamber of Industry of Guatemala (CIV), the Chamber of Agriculture (Camagro), the Guatemalan Chamber of Construction (CGC) and the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (Agexport).
“The Army Corps of Engineers will provide support with personnel and special machinery at Km 44 of CA9 and the CIV will provide the resources and supplies for the necessary work,” the military institution reported on that occasion.
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