The Local Committee of Nueva Canarias-Bloque Canarista (NC-BC) in Tías held last Friday a new meeting with neighbors from the town of Masdache affected by the installation of a telecommunications tower in the area. In said meeting, it was agreed to convey to the deputy for Lanzarote and La Graciosa, Yoné Caraballo, the need to visit the start of the works on site, where the installation of several telephone antennas is already planned.
The Canarista organization wants to reiterate its firm support for the residents of Masdache, who see a large-impact infrastructure being implemented in an environment of high environmental value such as La Geria, protected by its inclusion in the ZEPA and Natura 2000 Network, without due information, transparency, or guarantees.
According to the NC-BC spokesperson in Tías, Juan de León, “the most serious thing for us is the evident double standard of the mayor and his government group (PSOE and Podemos), which contrasts clearly with other recent actions in the municipality.
“While in Mácher a strong opposition has been led against a photovoltaic installation located near the mayor's own surroundings, in Masdache the installation of a 25-meter tower with several antennas is allowed without the same forcefulness, without public defense, and without siding with the neighbors,” says de León.
“What is happening, are there first-class and second-class neighbors in the municipality of Tías?”, they question from NC-BC, who continue arguing that “a territory cannot be defended firmly when it affects the closest environment and, however, abandon an entire town when it faces a high-impact infrastructure in a protected area. Even more so when this pylon is located in the vicinity of the multipurpose sports court, a space frequented by children, which poses a clear risk and increases the concern of families”.
From NC-BC, this lack of political coherence is considered unacceptable, and the institutional abandonment that the residents of Masdache are suffering is denounced, as they have not had the clear support of the Tías City Council in the face of an action that compromises the landscape, the environment, and the quality of life in the area.
Furthermore, in these days when the installation of antennas from different private telephone companies is already underway on the turret, the neighbors have begun to explore the possibility of initiating an administrative lawsuit against the Tías City Council, due to the lack of clear answers and the growing concern about the possible effects of the project.
This problem has already been reported by deputy Yoné Caraballo to the Parliament of the Canary Islands, where he highlighted both the environmental impact of the installation and the worrying lack of coordination between administrations. It is especially alarming that the Government of the Canary Islands itself was unaware of the implementation of this infrastructure on protected land.
Likewise, American Tower España S.L.U.'s recent request for the installation of new telecommunications equipment on the turret reinforces the urgency to act. NC-BC demands that the Tías City Council stop looking the other way and act with the same forcefulness as in other cases, defending all residents equally.
For all these reasons, NC-BC demands a clear and immediate stance from the Tías City Council in defense of the residents of Masdache; the precautionary suspension of actions until their legal and environmental fit is clarified; and a report from the Government of the Canary Islands that subjects the project to a simplified environmental impact assessment, guaranteeing strict compliance with ZEPA and Red Natura 2000 regulations.
However, NC-BC reiterates that the defense of the territory cannot depend on who a facility affects. "Coherence is the basis of politics. And today, the government group in Tías is failing Masdache."
