The spokesperson for the Socialist Group in the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Ariagona González, has lamented that the government group has rejected the PSOE's motion that proposed that the new Master Plan for Use and Management (PRUG) of the Chinijo Archipelago contemplate setting a maximum number of daily visitors and establishing a quota for those who visit the space, the amount of which would be used entirely for the maintenance of the natural space's values.
González has expressed her surprise that the argument used to reject the socialist proposal was the need to have technical reports and consult with "the shipping companies, the business owners, and the population of La Graciosa," when the purpose of the motion is precisely that, to introduce the proposal into the PRUG, which would mean that these reports are carried out and that the affected population expresses its opinion on the matter.
"The planning instruments are technical in nature, but they reflect the will of the government, and it is precisely the government that has to give instructions on what the objectives of the PRUG should be, whether to allow La Graciosa to continue to deteriorate or to put a stop to the overcrowding that one of the most unique and valuable natural spaces in the Canary Islands is suffering," the councilor explained.
The socialist councilor has accused Oswaldo Betancort of maintaining an irresponsible attitude towards La Graciosa. "He already demonstrated as mayor of Teguise his inability to control the proliferation of vehicles and the maintenance of the residential area itself," she pointed out.
The socialist spokesperson has once again recalled that the overcrowding of La Graciosa has even appeared as a prominent news item in national media, which have gone so far as to state that "no place has as much tourist pressure as the eighth island, an old lost utopia."
"Oswaldo Betancort continues to insist on denying reality. According to him, neither is La Graciosa overcrowded nor is vacation rentals a problem for Lanzarote families," González reproached.