By David Eade – Costa del Sol News
Ecological groups, Los Verdes, residents associations and other organisations have presented a catalogue of objections to the proposed Ronda to Costa del Sol toll motorway.
The regional government is in the process of publishing the study carried out in to the viability of the route. It has established the construction would cost 350 million euros for the 32.8 kilometres from Ronda to San Pedro de Alcántara. Current travel times of 50 minutes would be slashed to just 20.
The date for presenting allegations against the project passed on Monday of last week. However the ecologists have asked the Andalucía ministry of public works to extend it as the study has not yet been put on public display by the town halls through whose municipalities the route passes for all to examine it.
The ecologists oppose the road because they say a new motorway is not necessary and it will bring a mass of urbanisation in its wake although that has to be questioned in the present economic climate. They have also proposed major improvement to the existing road – one of the major black spots in the Málaga road network.
In 2007 the then minister for public works, Concepción Gutiérrez said the road would be completed in 2012. Now it is clear it is unlikely to even have started by then.
However the ecologists have said from the start that such a road would have a great negative impact on the environment and would pass through areas declared of Community Interest by the EU because of their valuable flora and fauna. They have also raised fears that the construction could free potentially cancer causing materials that have been covered for over 20 years.
The spokesperson for Izquierda Unida, Rafael Ruiz, has said his party has presented no comments on the plans for the simple reason they do not believe it is a serious project but just an electoral ploy to gain votes.
RONDA’S HOMAGE TO KEN LOACH
Many major names attended Ronda’s first political film festival held all last week at the Convento de Santo Domingo conference centre. Amongst them was Spain’s internationally famous campaigning judge Baltasar Garzón. Yet pride of place went to the veteran British film director Ken Loach who received a special ‘Goyesca de Honor’ for his life’s work at this cutting edge of socially orientated cinema.
Loach is renowned for his social comment films. He received his ‘Goyesca’ last Friday evening from his collaborator screenwriter Paul Laverty. A number of films on which they have worked together were shown over the week.
Amongst the Loach films shown was his latest Route Irish. This involves two young Irishmen who have known each other from school. They decide to go to Iraq as part of a security team earning 10,000 pounds tax free a month.
One of the lads Frankie dies in Iraq and his friend Fergus returns to Liverpool and anger by the cover up of his death starts his own investigation. Loach was on hand with Laverty to talk to the audience about this film and other shown during the festival.
The festival which featured ten films amongst its official entries attracted large audiences. Over 200 university students and 700 pupils studying for their Bachillerato attended the various screenings and sessions along with members of the public.
The fledgling Ronda festival has now been linked with the festival of political cinema in Buenos Aires which will be held next March. The director of the first Ronda event, Piluca Baquero, was to promote synergies between the two festivals and not to compete. The Ronda festival is the first of its kind in Europe and the event in Buenos Aires will be the first on that continent.
FIVE YEAR JAIL TERM FOR OLIVE GROVE BLAZE
The Málaga prosecutor is seeking a five-year jail term for a man who is accused of starting a fire that destroyed or damaged 16 hectares of olive groves in Ronda. The ecological damage and loss of trees has been put at 67,600 euros.
The fire ignited on August 28 2007 when the accused “started the fire that caused environmental damage”. It occurred in the area known as Los Frontones on a plot of land. Because of the dry summer and the high winds at the time the flames raced along and up the high terrain with great virulence and were a major danger to those in the area.
The fire was finally put out on August 30 and covered 16.07 hectares of which 15.25 were forest land with the rest agricultural. Amongst those attending the inferno were eight environment agents, 15 fire specialists, support groups, five fire engines, five helicopters and two aircraft – all of which cost 46,216 euros.
The prosecutor says that apart from the jail term the man should be fined 16,200 euros and also pay the specialist fire fighting organization Infoca 46,200 euros – its costs in fighting the blaze. In addition another 67,670 euros should be paid to the Andalucía ministry of the environment for the damage and losses.
HANDICAPPED HOME
Ronda will have a residence for handicapped people before 2012. The regional government is funding the project with 1.2 million euros. The town hall will have to finance a similar amount which will come from the sale of the former football ground to Eroski. Located in La Isla building which is 55 per cent constructed it will have a swimming pool and solarium.
THIEVES ALERT
Farmers in Ronda have met with the local and National Police as well as the Guardia Civil to ask for improved security because of the wave of robberies on their lands. Mostly the thieves make off with young cattle, chestnuts and olives. As a result of the meeting the town hall will meet with the 700 members of Asaja to discuss the issue.
OPERATING NORMALLY
Ronda hospital which serves the town, Serranía and parts of the Sierra de Cádiz has returned to normal after 50 operations had to be cancelled in a single week due to the lack of anaesthetists. The health authority has now added another specialist to the staff with a further addition due in the near future. The hospital had five of its allotted seven anaesthetists.
FIRE BREAK
The regional government has invested over a million euros in upgrading the Forest Defence Centre in Ronda. The landing area has been extended so it can now cater for seven helicopters. A giant water reservoir has also been created holding 200 million litres of water which can be used by the helicopters and land based crews to fight forest fires in the region.
JOBLESS UP
November saw a rise in the number of people unemployed in Ronda. The new total is 4,441 which is 113 more than in October. Since the start of 2010 the number of jobless in the town has risen by 284. The majority of those out of work are women. The town hall has created a number of job creation schemes to boost employment.
NOT ME
Again the mayor of Ronda, Antonio Marín, has appeared before the courts and claimed others were responsible for the offences he is accused of. In this instance the case surrounds his publication La Gaceta de Lunes which published confidential information about the president of the PP’s Nuevas Generaciones. Marín said he was blameless - he didn’t approve their publication it was PSOE’s political secretary.
POLITICAL FRICTION
Friction between the Partido Popular and Partido Andalucista in Montejaque. The PA spokesperson, Cristóbal González has dumped the party, joined the PP and will be their candidate for mayor in next May’s municipal elections. This has led the PA to say it will break all ties with the PP in Málaga because of this disloyal act, accusing it of being the extreme right.
MOSTO CIRCUIT
Atajate has been famous for its mosto grape based drink for generations and its Fiesta del Mosto celebrates its 25 th anniversary. Now an open museum has been created with the various exhibits showing the history of the brew spread around various areas of the Serranía village. It takes just a short and pleasant walk to complete the route aimed at boosting tourism.
