The “Central Railway” project is part of the terms of the agreement between the Uruguayan State and the Finnish company UPM to install its second pulp mill in the country, which will be located in Paso de los Toros.
Recently a group of residents who consider themselves affected by these works went to the Senate of the Republic. To clarify these situations, the Minister of Transport and Public Works, José Luis Falero, attended the Transport and Public Works Commission of the Senate on Wednesday.
“We have appeared with the undersecretary, the General Director and all our technical team that works in railway control bodies and we have responded to a request from the Commission that referred to some inconveniences that some neighbors had raised at the time in the commission” , Falero commented to Diario La R.
According to the Minister, these are “specific cases”. A case in Durazno, one in Montevideo and a third case in the department of Florida: “one by one they were explained and what has been the procedure of the ministry and the consortium itself that is carrying out the work. It has been clearly established that work has been done in all these cases within the possibilities that the Ministry has”, explained Falero.
The most complex specific case that is in Montevideo has even reached a judicial instance. “It is not directly related to the railway work because the original contract that was signed included a commitment signed by the departmental government of Montevideo that it had to act with respect to that belt” commented the Minister. In any case, he clarified that “we also put ourselves in order with the National Representatives here so that if we have to collaborate on something, we can solve it.”
Falero added that “in a series of situations it is not clear if those who claim to be affected are really owners or not, apparently they would not be, so there are other issues with greater difficulties. But that does not stop the work of the railway”, emphasized the Minister of Transport and Public Works.
Acoustic and movement drawbacks
The Secretary of State highlighted the dialogue process linked to this project: “the dialogue has been permanent, there is a specific Commission that deals with the issue and we have been correcting all the issues.” On the other hand, he added that “it is a very modern railway that will undoubtedly generate tranquility in terms of noise pollution and movement to the nearest homes with a specific intervention.”
Consulted by Diario La R about the progress of the project, Falero announced that “the works are already over 85% complete.” But he clarified that “the remaining 15% that seems little are precisely the problems that have to be solved that are more complex than the urban part, the signaling part, the security part and it is what comes in the next stage”.
Beyond the cases of neighbors who have presented themselves as victims, Falero pointed out that “everyone who is affected must be attended by the State and we are doing it when there is a reason.” However, he clarified that when there are no compelling elements that suggest that there really is damage, “we have carried out other interventions that have gone through the courts and we have been supported in our position,” Falero commented.
transfer of chemicals
One of the issues to which attention has been drawn is the transport of dangerous chemicals by the future Central Railway. In this regard, Falero stressed when leaving the parliamentary commission that: “the transfer of chemicals in Uruguay is not new, if we have transfer of chemicals by rail, we have several times more transfer of chemicals on national routes” and added that “it is all arranged under the same security conditions, with the intervention of Sinae, with firefighters and with everything we have to activate when a problem arises.
Finally, the Minister of Transport and Public Works stressed that “if there is something that this new railway network gives us peace of mind, this new railway that will circulate with these chemicals is that they are world-class and that they will have much more guarantees and much more security than what we have today”, he concluded.
Signing of social agreement
This Thursday, the Ministry of Transport and Public Works will sign a social agreement with the Departmental Administration of Cerro Largo and the Municipality of Río Branco for the construction of a Baby Soccer stadium. The event will take place at the Ministry’s headquarters in Montevideo (Rincón 561, 9th floor) starting at 2:00 p.m.
Heber announced the installation of 586 video surveillance cameras in Rocha and Canelones
The Minister of the Interior, Luis Alberto Heber, announced this Wednesday the installation of 586 video surveillance cameras since maldonado towards the departments of Rocha and Canelones.
Heber affirmed that criteria were combined and the hammer was “lowered” on the proposal to extend the chambers of the Ministry of Interior. The announcement was made after meeting with the Secretary of the Presidency, Álvaro Delgado, and the deputy secretary, Rodrigo Ferrés.
Also participating in the meeting were the president of Antel, Gabriel Gurméndez; the director of the National Police, Diego Fernández; the police chiefs of Rocha, Jorge García, and of Canelones, Víctor Trezza; and the director of the Unified Command Center (CCU), Alejandro Sánchez.
Heber maintained that the distribution of security cameras will not be proportional, taking into account that Canelones has a higher population density than Rocha. The goal is to have the largest number of cameras working at the start of the season, but it will depend on civil works and connectivity, the minister said.
The cameras will be connected to the Maldonado monitoring center, which will be in permanent contact with the Montevideo CCU.
Heber informed that the investment will be 5 million dollars. The Ministry must disburse 2 million in cash and the remaining 3 will be financed over four years.
The minister indicated that it is about the extension of the contract with the Israeli company Elbit Systems. The contract must go through the Administrative Litigation Court (TCA). But they are looking for the signing of the contract and “that they get to work as soon as possible,” said the chief.
Antel will deploy expanding the available technology and provide technical solutions to the project. The president of the company, Gabriel Gurméndez, highlighted the installation of fiber optics in Montevideo neighborhoods that did not previously have this technology, such as Borro, Casavalle, La Paloma, Cerro Norte, Sayago and Lavalleja Sur.
