The Government of the Canary Islands appeals to an “emergency legislation” and without “preconceived ideas”
SANTA CRUZ DE LA PALMA, Oct 22 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Minister of Territorial Policy and Government spokesperson, Isabel Rodríguez, has shown this Friday the commitment of the central Executive to change urban and administrative regulations to try to speed up the reconstruction in La Palma once the volcanic eruption ends.
At a press conference held in the capital of Palma after meeting with local and regional authorities, he said that a working group led by the Canary Islands Government had been created so that, “with creative effort”, a way could be found to speed up deadlines. in various fields.
Thus, he has made it clear that “the problem cannot be the bureaucracy” although he has recognized that there are certain procedures that must be “fulfilled” because many public economic resources are handled and everything must be handled with the greatest “transparency.”
Like the rest of the ministers, he highlighted the “coordination” between administrations to face the emergency and reconstruction, something that makes public institutions “stronger” and gives citizens “security”.
Along these lines, he has shown his “deep admiration” for the Cabildo de La Palma and the mayors of the three affected municipalities – Los Llanos de Aridane, El Paso and Tazacorte – because “they are a fundamental piece” of the State and “have had concern “for the course of the eruption.
Rodríguez also highlighted that the management of the emergency has been “successful” due to that administrative collaboration and also because of the communion with the scientific community, and hopes that it will continue to do so in order to launch reconstruction. “We shook hands at the beginning of the emergency and we are not going to let go,” he said.
500,000 EUROS NEXT WEEK
The minister has warned that “this will end when life and normalcy are recovered” of citizens and it is not just about providing aid or investments in infrastructure but about “the will to participate in the recovery”, hence there is a “intense relationship” even between all areas of the Government.
In this sense, he has announced that at the beginning of next week his ministry will transfer to the Cabildo de La Palma a first installment of 500,000 euros – from a fund of 38 million – to help with the first costs related to roads.
He has said that the Executive has “the will is to do everything possible to give an agile response” to the needs of citizens and has given as an example the measures taken during the pandemic to face the effects of Covid-19.
In this way, he has said that the administrations will be able to “arm” new mechanisms that will speed up the procedures and thus “manage tomorrow” on the island, with new urban regulations and the promotion of the territory to gain in “opportunities”.
The Minister of Security and spokesman for the Canarian Government, Julio Pérez, has shown the “full support” of the Executive to the requests of the Cabildo and city councils and valued that citizens perceive that the administrations are “together” to face the emergency and reconstruction .
MORE PERSONAL AND LIQUIDITY
For this reason, he commented that “it is necessary to generate legal norms to have faster and more efficient procedures” and thus, apart from having economic amounts, which is important, to be able to “sow hope” among citizens and “lighten” reconstruction.
However, he pointed out that “it is impossible to set deadlines” because it is necessary to give a return to urban, environmental and administrative regulations and without “preconceived ideas”, giving as an example that “maybe lava is not untouchable”.
According to Pérez, “in the face of the terrible impact of the eruption we cannot respond with the usual normality, an emergency legislation is needed for reconstruction.”
The president of the Cabildo de La Palma, Mariano Hernández, has also valued the “commitment” of the State with the reconstruction in one “hard” days as a result of the arrival of the lava to the La Laguna neighborhood and hopes that the new nuclei that will they believe after the eruption they maintain the “roots” of the affected people.
He has demanded the minister the need to have more personnel in the administrations and more economic liquidity and a “reformulation” of the urban regulations to be able to rebuild the affected areas and give “emergency solutions” to the neighbors.