The mayor of Santo Domingo North, Francisco Fernandez, confirmed yesterday, Monday 22 July, that he would guarantee the collection and final disposal of waste while he keeps control of the Duquesa garbage dump. He said that in the next few days he would be issuing a public tender to choose a new company to manage Duquesa, and said that the delay in collecting garbage was due to a supposed boycott by Lajun Corporation which was why he himself had taken over.
Fernandez assured that he had not taken this move unilaterally. He said that municipal councilors had passed a resolution on 8 July in which it was stated that if the contract was not complied with it could be rescinded.
Andres Navarro, General Secretary of the National District local authority said that the first truck had started collecting garbage yesterday, Monday 22 July, at 10am when it should have been 6am, and said that the Ministry of the Environment should be involved because the situation would affect the public.
Domingo Contreras, advisor to Environment Minister Bautista Rojas Gomez said that the operation of Duquesa would not be allowed to deteriorate, despite the ongoing legal battle. He said that the Ministry of Environment would intervene if they thought that the local government did not have control of the situation. He said they would step in if there were any risk to the public.
www.eldia.com.do/nacionales/2013/7/22/119888/Fernandez-afirma-Duquesa-seguira-operando-normalmente