"There is still a lot to do, but I am satisfied with the work we have done with the disaster we encountered". This is how the former president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Manuela Armas, has defended her work in the management of the Zonzamas Environmental Complex. The socialist spokesperson has thus responded to the statements made by the current president of the Cabildo, Pedro San Ginés, who on November 6 convened the media to talk about the worrying state in which they had found the landfill, upon taking office the new government group.
However, Armas has maintained that the Complex is currently better than she found it. And, according to her, the problems started from its construction. In this sense, she has even revealed that the European Union has requested explanations: "It asks what is happening with the plant, for which the money was given and it is not working".
Armas has recalled that in 2006, when Inés Rojas was president, the contract with the UTE that managed the Environmental Complex was extended "because 5 million euros were needed to get it started, but when we arrived, the plant was certainly not running". "A lot of money has been spent", she points out, "I think Lanzarote is one of the islands that has received the most money from Europe for waste treatment".
"Where is that money?"
According to the former president of the Cabildo and current spokesperson for the PSOE, one of the most serious irregularities refers to the request for a loan by the UTE. "When the audit is done, it is seen that there is a part invested and the rest is not". Something that leads Manuela Armas to not be able to assure if all the money that has been given to Zonzamas, has been destined to the planned things.
"I wonder where that money is, because if Europe gives you money to put a plant into operation, it must be put into operation, but if it doesn't and they say that 5 million euros are missing, which is what the UTE committed to put and what allowed it to even extend its contract. A lot of money is missing and that is what Europe is asking: Where is that money?", she warned at the press conference.
Armas also recalled that during her administration, the seizure of the concession to the UTE was decided, in December 2008. "The workers were not paid, they did not trust us with gas oil for the machines to work, the staff that should be 70 people, did not exceed 23...", she pointed out, listing the reasons that led them to adopt this measure. In addition, she added that the companies that made up that UTE "had problems between them, did not do their job according to the specifications and lacked solvency".
"We achieved many successes"
Although according to the words of the former president, the Zonzamas Environmental Complex "is becoming more and more complex and less Environmental", Armas has assured that since January 2009, when the Cabildo took over the management of the landfill, "we achieved many successes, despite the fact that it was very difficult to put a situation like the one we had on track".
Among the achievements that Manuela Armas mentions, she highlighted the updating of the salaries of the employees, as well as the hiring of new workers until completing the staff of 70, the appointment of a contract manager and a support technician for the control of the same, the implementation of security and health measures for the workers and "reaching in just six months the highest level of recycling of the material from the yellow containers, with 66 percent".
According to her, the intention of her government group was to remain so until the end of the year "and put the management of Zonzamas out to tender again at the beginning of 2010, but they have not let us", since they faced a motion of censure.
Little support from the Government of the Canary Islands
In addition, Manuela Armas has assured that "from the first day I took office, I spoke continuously with the Government of the Canary Islands and its Environment officials, asking please for the delivery of the facilities, such as the animal crematorium, to help us solve the issue of tires". "I did it from the first day almost daily", she indicated.
Armas has not shown any hesitation in criticizing the recent announcement of the Government of the Canary Islands to collaborate more closely in solving the problems of Zonzamas: "Why now yes and not before? We should ask the Canarian Government, but I think that it depends on the political color, something very typical of the regional Government", she questioned.
As an example, she pointed out that La Palma has received 3 million euros, in addition to the announcement by the highest regional Institution of an important injection of money for waste treatment. "It forced us to take money from other necessary investments for Lanzarote", Manuela Armas denounced. And the former president has insisted that these investments, "correspond to the Government of the Canary Islands, which for that receives European funds for that purpose".
It was delivered without prior reports
The socialist spokesperson has also pointed out that "since the 70s all the difficulties begin to be seen, they begin to try to solve them and many remain latent to this day". The former president has gone back to the 70s to explain that when the complex is handed over to who was then president of the Cabildo, Dimas Martín, and being Deputy Minister of the Environment of the Government of the Canary Islands, Milagros Luis Brito, "they do so without receiving the prior reports. "Such an important work, is received without the prior reports", she criticized.
