Consensus and political unity in the council “to promote the great works pending on the Island.” It is the request of Óscar Izquierdo, president of the Provincial Federation of Construction Entities of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Fepeco), to those responsible for the Cabildo in the areas of Mobility and Roads during his visit to the employer’s headquarters. The director, Enrique Arriaga, was accompanied by the island directors José Alberto León and Tomás García.
«Improving mobility and transport in Tenerife, a hallmark of our work at the Cabildo». This is how Minister Arriaga presented the meeting on social networks to add: «This morning (yesterday) we presented at Fepeco the progress of the projects started and how we are going to continue investing in infrastructure».
Izquierdo regrets that the Cabildo is, in his opinion, like “a chicken coop” in the sense that partisan interests come before the general interest. He asks for “consensus”, “political unity” and “high-mindedness” to approve the large infrastructure works “as pending as necessary” on the Island. In the short term, he asks the political forces “to give the government team a chance to be able to tender the projected road infrastructures».
Izquierdo considers that they have “a great opportunity in the next plenary session, on the 27th, to approve issues such as the Engine Circuit that was pending in the previous one, which has meant a new break of another two months.
«It has been three years of work to write and tender, which cannot be seen, but it must be done»
“A Stuck Island”
The address of Fepeco states that “we have spent too many years without doing anything”, without “concord or consensus”, two words that he repeated on several occasions, to develop the road infrastructures of an island “stuck, immobilized and disorganized”. In this sense, he believes that “Tenerife has lagged behind Gran Canaria.” But, in general, he affirms that he is “40 years behind the others.”
Izquierdo states that “we had three decades full of press conferences and presentation of infographics, but without real projects.” Some progress has been made “and now Tenerife is an island in the making”. It is necessary to take the next step: “the public works tender”.
The president of Fepeco gives examples such as the southern train or the third rail on the TF-1 and TF-5 but emphasizes that “we could give many more.”
“true” information
Enrique Arriaga highlights that they have given the builders “true and updated information” in the face of “noise”. They have explained to them the state of all the infrastructure plans of the Island “after years without projects”. He emphasizes that the government team has tried to “recover” what “was left undone in the previous stages.”
“The Cabildo is like a chicken coop, where the partisan prevails over the general interest”
The vice president of the Cabildo details that in three years of mandate they have drafted, tendered and contracted, a task “that the population does not see” but, which, he adds, “must be done and we have done.” In addition, he points out, “a work is not from one day to the next, the whole process can take up to two or three years.”
Arriaga particularly regrets the vote against the Canarian Coalition in projects such as the Motor Circuit, “Despite being in favor for 30 years.” He did it “out of political tactics” in the last plenary session “when he blocked the budget modification to invest the remaining treasury, 126 million euros.” And, he values him, “he could have refrained.”
“We have worked so that Tenerife is at the necessary level”, he points out but agrees with Izquierdo that “Gran Canaria has advanced us and now is the time for this Island to face challenges in the short, medium and long term”. Arriaga defends the symbiosis of the private with the public but believes that the administration should be the “engine of the construction sector” that has proven to be “essential for the island’s economy.”
The common reflection is that “fundamental items cannot be allowed to be rejected” as happened in the plenary session two weeks ago because that means “delaying everything even more”. Arriaga explains that “there was the planning for Titsa or the works for the Polígono de La Campana, just to give two examples.” This is the reason for urging the CC and PP to “have high sights” and finally approve most of these initiatives in the insular plenary session on the 27th.
