DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY DECEMBER 15, 2011

CONCERN OVER PROPOSED AVE ROUTE


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

The town of Ronda has wanted the AVE high speed rail system to come to its station for years. Now the ministry of public works has finally announced the project has been approved there is anger amongst residents who suddenly find themselves living alongside the proposed route.

Around one hundred residents of Llano de la Cruz have formed an association to have the route changed. Its president is Cristina Piek who owns the Hotel Fuente La Higuera which instead of currently being in open countryside will have the twin tracks going past its door.

Cristina Piek says there are up to 100 properties in the valley along with 200 houses and four rural hotels. Some 2,500 people live in the zone and their lives will be disrupted by the AVE rail track that will link Antequera with Algeciras via Ronda passing through their midst.

The association points out that the economic and environmental consequences for Llano de la Cruz with its numerous farms and vineyards as well as rural tourism bases will be very negative. Piek also stated that the noise from construction and the trains will generate a high degree of stress.

The ministry is proposing that the majority of the line will follow the existing single track which currently just carries local and freight trains. This will go from Antequera via Almargen, Alcalá del Valle, Setenil then through Llano de la Cruz to La Indiana.

A new AVE station will be created at La Indiana just on the outskirts of Ronda. However the service will pass through Ronda itself and the town hall wants this section placed underground. It argues not only will this not divide the town but will create useable space where the present rail track exists.

JÚZCAR VOTES ON STAYING BLUE

The Serranía de Ronda is famous for its white villages but Júzcar is now known around the world for being blue. The buildings were painted by Sony as part of its international promotion for the new Smurfs movie in which Júzcar was transformed in to their home.

This has brought thousands of visitors to the Valle del Genal to see blue Júzcar and the town hall has had to employ an additional three police officers to control the traffic. Local businesses have prospered, Júzcar has been placed firmly on the map but should it stay blue?

Now the general election is out of the way the residents will go to the polls to decide the future colour of their village. Mayor David Fernándéz says everybody over 18 years of age who is registered at the town hall along with business and property owners will be able to vote.

The mayor has written to everybody to explain how it is important for them to vote. However he stresses he is not stating any preference and whichever way the vote goes that is fine by him. He adds that if the village goes back to white it will regain its tranquillity and be visited just by the lovers of nature and those seeking rural tourism.

It will cost 60,000 euros to repaint Júzcar white and the bill will be paid by Sony. However the village has been enjoying its moment of fame and it may well be that this Saturday – December 17 – the residents vote to stay blue and enjoy the fame of the Smurfs for a while longer.

HAVE A GAY ST VALENTINE’S DAY

The Serranía de Ronda village of Montejaque is staging a unique event to boost rural tourism to the area. It has announced the first Encuentro de Solter@s Gays which will run over the 10 th – 12 th February weekend with the objective of celebrating St Valentine’s Day, which of course is on the 14 th.

It is organised by the tourist office and as the title suggests is for single Gays although a look through the programme suggests they should also be donkey lovers. The town hall says the objective is to encourage visitors to the stunning beautiful Montejaque area as well as encouraging singles to meet their perfect partner.

DRINK THEFT

Thieves have started returning to the industrial estate in Ronda. The latest robbery was at Distribuciones Cantero which handles alcoholic drinks and general food stuffs. On this occasions the thieves made off with 500 boxes of drinks and cash. The value of the stolen items was 80,000 euros and a van was taken from a nearby chicken product company to remove the booty.

JOBLESS UP

The number of unemployed in Ronda has risen again. In November another 28 workers went on the dole bringing the total to 4,756. However whilst the total of women out of work has risen to 2,478 the number of men has dropped by 11 to 2,289. In November 941 new work contracts were signed of which 915 are temporary and the rest permanent.
INDY ADVANCE
The move to make the outlying enclaves of Ronda into separate municipalities continues. Serrato and Montecorto will be the 102nd and 103 rd municipalities in Málaga province. The regional government has issued for public inspection information on the transition which should be completed in the next two years. One problem: the law says they must have a population of 2,500 whereas its 600.
GET WALKING
The Andalucía project ‘Por un millón de pasos’ which encourages people to walk for the benefit of their health has been launched in Gaucín and El Colmenar. Residents are being encouraged to take exercise and to eat a sensible diet to prevent illnesses and cancer. Currently 161 people in Gaucín and another 98 in nearby El Colmenar – Estación de Gaucín over 6,200 kilometres.
PLANNING PROTEST
The PSOE group on the Málaga provincial authority have protested at the cancellation of the scheme which saw town planning assistance given to the rural municipalities to draw up their local development plans. The cuts say the socialists leave these town halls without any support, have thrown dozens of people on to the dole queue and have put a break on development projects.

HORSE SCHOOL

The equestrian school in Ronda now has 50 pupils. The school is located next to the municipal stud. The lessons are open to all at the basic level and include various styles of riding. There are special sessions for the handicapped where working with the horses is used as a therapy. The Andalucía government pays 60 per cent of the costs with the town hall the balance.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

ARRESTED FOR CORRUPTION


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

To Malaya, Ballena Blanca and Astapa can now be added Acinipo – the Roman name for Ronda. An apt choice by the police leading latest municipal corruption case that saw a wave of arrests on Tuesday including the former mayor of Ronda Antonio Marín Lara.

Roads were sealed off as at least three police raids swept in to operation at the town hall, municipal offices and the homes of those involved. Yet it caused little commotion in the town of the Tajo because after years of rumour few would have been surprised that arrests had now been made.

As in Marbella and Estepona the case revolves around town planning corruption. Apart from the ex mayor who in turn was Partido Andalucista then socialist, three other PSOE councillors were also detained plus former associates of the previous administration.

Having their collars felt were Francisco Cañestro, the secretary of the local PSOE who is also a provincial deputy; María José Martin de Haro, the former town planning councillor and Rafael Lara who was in charge of local contraction and security. According to judicial sources the others detained were a lawyer and people associated with the Eroski commercial centre development to be built on the former football ground. A seventh person also involved in this project has been questioned by police. Two of these latter arrests were made outside of the province.

The anti-corruption prosecutor Valentín Bueno, who was the mover behind the Astapa and Arcos cases, ordered in 20 officers of the Udyco organised crime unit from the Costa del Sol and a dedicated group dealing with money laundering. The judge of Ronda’s number 2 court is in charge and sources say those involved have been under investigation for around 12 months. Indeed if the charges are proved then the ecologists in Ronda deserve much of the praise because it was they who prodded the forces of law and order in to action.

Taken by surprise was the new Partido Popular mayor of Ronda, Mari Paz Fernández, when the secretary of the court, the anti-corruption prosecutor and plain clothes police all entered her office. They had arrived at the historic town hall located in the plaza de la Duquesa de Parcent in silence.

Then started a search of the mayor’s suite previously occupied by Marín, the various former municipal departments of the other councillors arrested in this case and their private homes and offices. Taken away were town planning documents, various files and the hard discs of computers. The operation that had started around 9.00 finished at 18.00.

The charge sheet against those involved is lengthy but now all too familiar in such cases. Corruption, bribery, embezzlement, falsifying documents, money laundering, traffic in influences and obstructing justice.

Police are said to have taken away a large amount of documentation relating to the sale of the former football stadium on which is to be constructed a mega commercial centre under the name of Eroski. They were also looking for information on the construction company involved Ruiz Jurado.

Both the ecologists and Izquierda Unida had brought a number of cases against the then mayor Antonio Marín. These centred on the controversial Los Merinos golf development close to the boundary with Cuevas del Becerro in the Serranía. Although the development is halted because of the economic crisis the plans are to build 800 luxury homes, a golf course plus hotels and the company involved has paid millions of euros to the town hall on and on-going basis as laid down in its town planning agreement. There are also current cases before the courts involving illegal construction in the Hoya del Tajo – a supposedly protect zone. Whether these make up part of the Acinipo investigation remains to be seen.

Marín and the others arrested in Ronda were taken from their homes and offices to various municipal locations, all were looking very nervous. They were then transported to the police HQ in Marbella and spent the night in police cells in Málaga. Their respective wives, including that of Marín who had been a fellow councillor in his administration, were not seen.

The anti-corruption prosecutor is understood to have ordered the tapping of the phones of those involved for some time. There have also been rumours circulating around Ronda for the past week that something was afoot. However all were surprised when Valentín Bueno swept in to town with the police raiding parties.

NO PAY

The neighbouring municipalities of Cortes de la Frontera and Gaucín cannot afford to pay their workers. Thirty-four employees are involved in Gaucín they have not paid for July and August and the total is around 75,000 euros. Over the same period 224 workers have not been paid in Cortes nor have those collecting the cork harvest. Cuevas del Becerro is also in arrears.

JEWELLERY THEFT

The Guardia Civil in Cortes de la Frontera have arrested a 28-year-old local man accused of stealing jewellery from another person in the village. After an official report was made of the theft officers found the items being sold in a gold dealing shop in Cortes. It appears the culprit was known to the victim and even had a key to the property.

BRIDGE REPAIR

The small dilapidated road bridge at Llano de la Cruz which marks the boundary between Ronda and Arriate is to be repaired. It was recently visited by Manuel López the Ronda councillor responsible for outlying areas. After requests from local residents the town hall is to completely replace the crash barriers and upgrade the structure with work starting within the next 15 days.

GOING ALONE

Residents of El Colmenar – Estación de Gaucín are to be granted a degree of autonomy. Currently the area is part of the municipality of Cortes de la Frontera. Local people have been campaigning for independence and Málaga province has now granted them ELA status which means they will have management of local affairs. El Colmenar will be the fourth ELA in the province.

TOREROS WAY

Ronda has inaugurated the Paseo de los Toreros, a walk way in the Blas Infante zone by the bullring. There will be spaces dedicated to the famous bullfighters Pedro Romero, Niño de la Palma and Antonio Ordóñez. It will honour people closely associated with the world of bullfighting with one being immortalised each year by being commemorated along the route of the pathway.

PARK RESTORED

Ronda is to restore the urban parkland in La Dehesa. The large wooded area has been neglected in recent years. The councillor for the environment, Rafael Flores, has announced a major clean-up operation involving collecting the accumulated rubbish, replacing damaged equipment in the children’s play area, installing new access signs to show entry points and there will also be a track for cyclists.