The concessionaire YUMA filed a complaint with the Bosconia Municipal Mayor’s Office, in the center of Cesar, for the occupation of a section of the Route of the Sun 3 by about 30 families from ethnicity of the yukpa that remain on the road since October 2022.
Due to the presence of the community, the construction company Ariguaní has not continued the works in the sector of the new road that from Valledupar leads to San Roque, corregimiento of Curumaní. Meters of asphalt and granular base are still missing, according to a company source.
Lea: Yukpas live on Ruta del Sol 3 in Bosconia
THE PRIOR CONSULTATION
However, the mayor Edulfo Villar dHe told EL PILÓN that the Directorate for Indigenous, Roma and Minority Affairs (DAIRM) of the Ministry of the Interior registered this group called Akashkatopo as an indigenous community of Colombia through resolution 180 of December 26.
“That automatically activates the prior consultation, which is above any police procedure, so says the Constitutional Court. If we make the eviction effective, we completely denature the prior consultation ”, Villar expressed.
The president added that “Until that is resolved, the work cannot continue.” Thus, EL PILÓN tried to find out the version of the director of DAIRM for this case, but until the closing of this edition there was no response.
Lea: Relocating Yukpas living on the Ruta del Sol could take 3 years
THE COMMUNITY IS STILL WAITING FOR HOUSES
christina herreraleader of Akashkatopotold this newspaper that it rained on Sunday night and on Monday they were also concerned that the water level would rise to the makeshift houses on the road.
“Due to the heat, during the day we go down, but as soon as it rains hard we get on the track. The children are afraid of the rain. We are doing our needs in the bush”, Herrera said.
The indigenous leader does not believe that the relocation will come soon: “They told me that the councilors did not want to give the signatures to the mayor just for us indigenous people. We are waiting for them to relocate us to good houses.”
THE PROCESS IN THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL
EL PILÓN consulted the Councilor Hernan Martinez on the project of agreement that the mayor presented in the corporation to have powers to buy a property for the housing construction project that both the indigenous community and the other victims of the flood of October 2022 await.
Martinez explained that the project “is under study”, and that the president has presented it three times “because it has documentary shortcomings”. According to the councilor, they are waiting for all the legal requirements to carry out the process.
“But the project requests powers to purchase a housing lot in the municipal seat of Bosconia, here is not working for the benefit of the community yukpa, that would be another draft agreement,” noted the councilor.
In fact, the property that is planned is located at the back of the Uribe Vélez neighborhood, via the municipality of Plato, department of Magdalena, as EL PILÓN learned.
WHAT ABOUT RURAL HOUSES?
The mayor assured that they have not presented the second project because they would not have found a rural property for the houses that must satisfy the needs of the Yukpa culture.
“We have already advanced the process for housing for non-indigenous people. The great difficulty we have had is finding people who are willing to sell land to settle the Yukpa there. because they believe that it is a problem, that is why we have not asked the Council for the power to buy another property”, concluded the president.
HOUSING MINISTER
The relocation process would take between 2 and 3 years, taking into account that the land where the houses will be built is not yet there. For her part, the Minister of Housing, City and Territory, Catalina Velasco, acknowledges that the two projects are large and that “You have to go in stages.”
By Andrea Guerra Peña / THE PYLON.
@andreaguerraperiodista