The Partido Socialista opposition in Faro’s council said today that mayor Rogério Bacalhau has displayed "inability and a lack of political influence" for allowing the council to lose out on financing for the construction of a new bridge to Faro Island.
"Statements by the Secretary of State for the Environment, Paulo Lemos, have revealed the incompetence of the right-wing coalition in Faro council and of the government," according to a harsh and critical statement from the opposition.
According to Paulo Lemos, any new bridge to the island of Faro now "can only be constructed with EU funding." Under the current Community Support Framework, which ends in 2015, "this is no longer possible."
The bridge is not built, but "it’s not because the administration does not want it," assured Lemos, but because "at this stage it is no longer possible to do the work within the time allotted."
"The new bridge can only be made with the financing available right now. We are talking of funding under the previous Community Framework which required that work be completed by December 2015. Faro council is unable to launch contest for bids, to award the contract, to obtain approval of the Tribunal de Contas and complete the work by December 2015," said Lemos.
The Faro socialists maintain that other parties in the council and in government, "have distorted the basic idea of the Polis Programme and have focusing all their attention on the demolition (of properties,) which explains why there has been "virtually no other work under the Polis programme in the county of Faro."
"The right-wing coalition is responsible for having lost millions of euros in EU funds that should have been invested in the district of Faro. It was lost due to the incompetence and inability of the PSD/CDS parties in Faro camara to take this opportunity," said the socialists.
"Passive and subservient" is how the opposition sums up Rogério Bacalhau’s performance in his dealings with projects under the Polis programme, while "demonstrating a hug subservience to the government and, in particular, to the Minister of the Environment.”
" The current mayor has known from the very beginning that the intent and purpose of the Ministry of the Environment was to demolish the fishermen’s houses yet did nothing to prevent it," claim the socialists.
In fact Rogério Bacalhao, with a united cross-party vote, approved a motion this week in which the council expressed disappointment with the fact that Polis Ria Formosa wants to proceed with the demolition of houses on the Ria Formosa islands without having completed the other projects under the Polis programme, including the new bridge.
The socialists also pointed out that after the November 28, 2014 deadline for the eviction of fishermen, nurserymen and shellfish harvesters they still will not know whether they can continue to live on their islands, or whether they will be resettled as there is zero provision for alternative accommodation.
Many of those to be evicted in November plan to spend the winter months on the beach, barred from access to their own homes until such time as these are demolished.
Comments
When the famous glacial legal system, which moves slower than the slowest glacier, is called into play, the demolition orders will be frozen in time. So will the council put its money where its mouth is, and finance a legal challenge? Bacalhau has the reputation of a nobody to maintain, so do not hold your breath. I doubt whether Faro Câmara has the balls to challenge this demolition decision effectively in the courts.