The Güímar City Council completely closed access to Las Bajas, a town located on the sea side of the TF-1 tunnels passing through Güímarto which five of the families evicted from a sealed place on March 10, 2021 have already returned, says Ana Hernández, one of those affected. The City Council proceeded to place new jersey type barriers to prevent vehicles from entering the area. At the same time, it replaced the signage that is required based on current regulations.
The mayor, Gustavo Pérez, defends that “the City Council must apply the approved security measures at all times, as well as placing the corresponding informative and warning signs. The councilor maintains that “there is no report that advises or authorizes the reopening of access to Las Bajas or transit through the place.” With this argument, he assures that “this administration must maintain the application of the measures established with the Provincial Coastal Service.”
“maintains that “there is no report that advises or authorizes the reopening of access to Las Bajas or transit through the place”
On March 10, 2021, there was a preventive eviction of around twenty residents in Las Bajas due to the existence of an imminent risk of high danger. in the face of atmospheric phenomena, as well as the high risk of detachment from the slope of the Southern Highway tunnel. Both circumstances posed a threat to the integrity of the homes and the neighbors, as reflected in the technical report.
They left their cave houses for four months to be rehoused at the expense of the Güímar City Council, said the then mayor, Airam Puerta. Today, those affected are being sued through the courts for payment of the rent where they lived (up to 18,000 euros, in some cases). and they do not have municipal aid because they either have short-term employment contracts or they have not wanted to apply for it, according to the response of those affected or the local government.
The four months was the estimated period to complete the works on the slope, contracted for 342,865 euros and paralyzed in September 2021 due to the excess cost (up to almost a million and a half) that the company certified, pending a court decision on its claim for more than one million euros.
Ana Hernández assures that they return to Las Bajas because no one rents them, they do not have the resources to do so nor do they have public help. Meanwhile, “not a stone has fallen here, despite the emergency, but in La Medida (in the median of Güñimar), yes.”
