Residents of Las Bajas try to return to the houses they voluntarily evicted more than a year ago because they have order eviction of the apartment in which they were relocated and whose rent was paid, for several months, by a construction company. Seven families are in this circumstance due to the breach of the acquired commitment and the lack of a solution to the problem from the Güímar City Council.
With Airam Puerta (PSOE) as mayor, Las Bajas was left uninhabited between March and April of last year to stabilize the slope on the sea side of the southern highway tunnel, under which the cave-houses of this village are located. The current first deputy mayor acted before the existence of technical reports that warned of the landslide hazard. The work was contracted for 342,865 euros and was to be completed in four months. It was paralyzed in September 2021 by the current mayor, Gustavo Pérez, when detecting an extra cost of the works of more than one million euros, which has not been paid to the construction company. The company stopped paying for the relocation of the neighbors because it does not charge.
The councilman, Gustavo Pérez, points out that “the economic oversizing and some constructive and procedural aspects caused the technicians and jurists to report on the line of paralyzing the work.” In his opinion, he “has to wait for the clarifications from the engineers and the jurists. He maintains that “as mayor, I can and must continue to manage the social aid process and I can and must continue to give the affected neighbors all my support, while this complex file continues.”
In parallel, Costas informs the neighbors and the City Council that Las Bajas has to be evicted for demolition by occupying public domain space.
