This week the undersecretary in Zone 6 of the MTOP, Luis Barzallo, went to the Prosecutor’s Office to file a criminal complaint.
Cuenca
The accusations disseminated on social networks and ratified in a complaint filed with the Public Prosecutor’s Office by officials of the Ministry of Transportation and Public Works (MTOP) for an alleged terrorism in the rural Molleturo parish are categorically rejected by the inhabitants of that azuayo sector.
In recent days, referring to the Molleturo-Cuenca road, the head of the MTOP, Marcelo Cabrera, on his Twitter account published a video in which people were observed watering rocks with a hose. Then, on Monday of this week, the undersecretary in Zone 6, Luis Barzallo, went to the Prosecutor’s Office to file a criminal complaint, arguing that he had evidence that explosives had also been placed in the area.
Cabrera’s message on the social network was: “It is forceful, criminals have placed hoses to irrigate with large amounts of water on the rocky massif in the upper part of km 49 and this has further aggravated the landslides.”
Given this, Manuel Pacheco, leader of Molleturo, explained that they are not terrorists or criminals, but desperate people because the road that connects Azuay and Guayas is completely closed, which has affected their daily life and commerce. “Everywhere we are screwed,” he said.
In his desire to resume his mobility, Pacheco said that despite the risk, mingas were organized to build a path for small cars of the inhabitants to pass and “hanging from a rope we dumped all the dangerous material.” And although the machinery of the MTOP is there, Pacheco commented that they withdraw as soon as the fog falls or it begins to rain.
Regarding the hoses seen in the MTOP video, he explained that these are for agricultural use and that in the last four days of minga he has not seen anything similar.
Although Cabrera said in his social network that the alleged crime also has a political interest behind it, the leader replied that the only thing that motivates them is the desperation for the start of the work that will lead to a definitive solution by the MTOP. “What competition can we have with a minister if we are people who grow potatoes, mellocos, we have cattle and we need to sell,” he replied.
One of the hardest hit sectors is the commercial sector because having the road closed prevents travelers who come and go to the coast from consuming their products throughout the journey. For example, in the Tamarindo sector there is a variety of fruits that today are rotting, in Yerbabuena there are restaurants with closed doors, while in El Cajas the gastronomy, recreation and adventure sports service is also paralyzed.
Ronald Quiroz, representative of the Molleturo tourism sector, said that for now, around 60 establishments that generate direct local work for more than 30 inhabitants of the sector are out of service. Which also hurts the commercial chain because it is not buying from suppliers, also from this province.
This situation has resulted in them being unable to pay their debts with financial institutions. According to Quiroz, in his case he has a debt of $ 60,000, which was to invest in a place.
Meanwhile, the latest provision of the Ministry is maintained with the indefinite closure of the Cuenca-Molleturo road, so that travelers between the two provinces have the Cuenca-Zhud-Cochanchay as an alternative. (I)
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