Cabarete may close public access to La Boca de Yasica
La Boca de Yasica, well known for its recreational area, has a public access through the old road that has a history of more than 100 years and is part of the old road that goes from Gaspar Hernandez to Sosua.
There’s some information that the former members of Cabarete authority arranged some sessions, before ending their term, during which a resolution to install a security barrier to prohibit public access to Boca de Yasica in favor of the promoter of the Ritz Carlton Reserve project was made. The project is managed by Juan Francisco de Jesus Cordero Espaillat alias Juan Cocco. That resolution will constitute an infraction to law 176-07 and instead of defending access, the members would “give it away” to the promoter. That closure of access would mean the privatization of Boca de Yasica exactly as in the case of Playa Encuentro.
If it’s true, this closure of access is made up by the same developers who closed the old path to Encuentro beach. All this wandering is done with the complicity of authorities who never had the qualities to be officials to defend the interests of the people of Cabarete.
Supposedly, there is another resolution totally violating environmental law 64-00, in favor of the same promoter to end the La Boca wetland. That resolution would authorize the developer to make a 3-meter-wide drainage channel behind the Veralarga community several hundred meters to the Yasica river to dry the wetland and mangroves. Wetland and mangroves are protected by various national and international laws such as the Ramsar agreement. In that area, presented voluntarily wrongly in the environmental impact study as an agricultural area, it is allegedly intended for a polo field and other facilities.
If that is true, Cabarete has to reject the actions of those former councilmen who also have the complicity of the new chapter room in Cabarete that rejects any request for information in clear violation of Law 200-04 of free access to information. Review and copies of the meeting were requested. There was a suspicious handling of the book or that the content of the books is not wanted to be seen. Nothing has changed in Cabarete, which was declared to be a district in 2002, and that each administration did a huge amount of irregularities and corruption. We would not be surprised if other resolutions would appear in favor of the private ones.
We hope that these rumors are not confirmed, but the information received gives everything to believe that it is true.
Recently, an advertising campaign has been seen by the promoters of the Ritz Carlton Reserve project, presenting this project as a project committed to the environment, but the reality is that damage has been verified in quantity, drying up wetlands and destruction of mangroves until the the attorney general’s office paralyzed the project for serious violations of Law 64-00.
We regret that the authorities give away permits for projects that are destroying a very fragile ecosystem such as in Boca de Yasica and that the new director of the Cabarete district board supports that project knowing that it will harm the Cabarete community, privatizing a recreational area highly appreciated by the people of Cabarete and by tourists and ending with all wetlands and mangroves. You can’t work this way and especially not in the beginning of the 4-year term.
Source: Cabarete Noticias
June 1, 2020
Category: DR News |