Roadblock lifted after highway repairs are promised; Photo radar controversy heats up; Ecuadorian and Peruvian beekeepers meet up, share the buzz

Miércoles, 1/3/2023

Hola, Todos –

Titular –

Debate juicio contra Lasso (Debate on the trial against Lasso) – See today’s (miércoles) story in CHL.

Cuenca –

27 puntos críticos hay en la vía Girón-Pasaje (27 critical points on the vía Girón-Pasaje) – Authorities with MTOP reached an agreement with residents of Gramalote in Pucará canton to unblock the vía Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje at km. 112. Inhabitants in the area had blocked the road from lunes to noon ayer as a way to pressure MTOP into fixing the road which is now only one and half lanes wide and on the verge of collapsing. Strong rains caused a creek to rise which affected a sewer, creating a sinkhole that put the road at risk of failure. This is the main route between El Oro and Azuay and one of the most important for transporting food between the Sierra and the Coast. <Is there going to be a run on bananas and pineapples?> A protester hoped drivers would understand that the blockage was for everyone’s safety since with the passage of buses, trailers, and heavy trucks, “en cualquier momento se va la vía” (at any moment the road could go).

Protesters in Pucará lifted a two-day roadblock of the Cuenca-Machala highway Wednesday after the Transportation Ministry agreed to make repairs. Recent flooding has caused part of the roadway to collapse. (El Mercurio)

Luis Mario Barzallo, undersecretary of MTOP Zone 6, agreed the damage was from the Gramalote Creek which carried rocky material that blocked water drainage. MTOP is evaluating 27 critical points along the road for intervention since there is money available for emergency repairs. <Seems like if all emergency repairs were made, they could eat up the entire MTOP budget since roads routinely wash out when it rains.> He said it would take 2-3 days to fix the affected lane and repairs will include replacing the sewer which has reached the end of its useful life.

De El Mercurio del martes, 28/2/2023 (1 article):
Pausan multas hasta ajustar fotorradares (Fines paused until adjustment of speed cameras) – The radars installed by EMOV on the Circunvalación Sur and av. Carlos Arízaga Toral should not issue fines according to 3 lawyers. The reason was because 2 of the administrators at EMOV for the contract to install the devices asked last viernes that additional conditions be completed before starting their operation. They both asked that the margins of error and registered distances be calibrated as well as improving the supports for the cameras. They also wanted the horizontal signage painted and a guarantee that the radar screens would not be obstructed by vegetation. The Consorcio Móvil Technology Ecuador has the contract to install the radars and will receive 40% of what is collected in fines. <I can understand that they’d want the system working as soon as possible even if it wouldn’t be working as well as possible.>

8 concejales insisten en que “radares no entren a operar” (8 councilmen insist that “radars not start to operate”) – 8 councilmembers made a request to Mayor Palacios public. They asked that the 10 radars already installed not start operation. These 10 plus another 32 are part of a contract between EMOV EP and the Consorcio Móvil Technology Ecuador for $7,292,000 over 12 years. The consortium will receive 40% of the fines collected to recuperate its investment. Alfredo Aguilar, a councilmember and president of the Audit Commission, said there were numerous reports that said the contract had many illegalities and defects of nullity and a lack of certification of the equipment including from ANT (Agencia Nacional de Tránsito).

Another councilman and board member for EMOV, Fabián Ledesma, said that they had not received answers to a series of requirements. They have been blocked for over 5 months. Carolina Martínez, a councilmember, said it has been 8 months since the council asked for information on the contracting process. <So why is the outgoing mayor rushing to get these gizmos turned on instead of leaving the whole mess to the incoming mayor?>

Empresarial –

Apicultores de Ecuador y Perú intercambian conocimientos (Ecuadorian and Peruvian beekeepers exchange knowledge) – 30 Azuayan beekeepers and 20 from the Asociación de Apicultores “Nectar Pacchino” from Perú participated in a binational meeting organized by MAG (Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería) at a farm in the Sinincay parish. The beekeepers exchanged their experiences in topics such as technification of the harvesting process, and a comparison of the realities of different climates and altitudes. The district director of MAG said a visit by the Azuayans to apiaries in Catamarca, Perú is being planned. In Azuay, MAG has trained around 350 beekeepers in hive management, bee product utilization, genetics and health. <I hope that Ecuador won’t suffer bee die offs and hive colony collapses that are happening in more “advanced” countries.>

And that’s all for today so Hasta ? –

Jeanne