The socialist mayors of Tías, Haría, and San Bartolomé will vote in favor of the proposed intervention for the water cycle. This stance was confirmed by María Dolores Corujo, insular secretary of the PSOE, during a press conference held this Wednesday, where she addressed the conflict between the Insular Water Consortium and Canal Gestión Lanzarote.
“"We socialists want to be part of the solution. The integrated water cycle must be managed publicly."
Corujo criticized the management of the insular president, Oswaldo Betancort, in the process to modify the agreement with the subsidiary of Canal de Isabel II, signed in June 2013 by the then president Pedro San Ginés. The PSOE rejects a mixed management model or a new tender, advocating for a model similar to the one that existed under the public company Inalsa.
The socialist leader also lamented Betancort's «lack of political and technical rigor,» citing as an example the failed attempt to transfer responsibility from Canal Gestión Lanzarote to Sacyr and Aqualia, a solution that was discarded due to the absence of a firm offer by Monday. Furthermore, Corujo criticized the president for announcing measures for the upcoming Insular Water Consortium assembly without first officially convening the seven mayors.
The intervention process will depend on the Canary Islands Advisory Council, which could extend for several months, as reported by CANARIAS7. Another point of concern for the socialists is the upward revision of tariffs, regretting the intention to «socialize the company's losses.»
For his part, Oswaldo Betancort, in a press release issued almost simultaneously, assured that the temporary intervention process for the service is already underway. He stated that the administration has an obligation to act «with firmness» to defend the general interest when an essential service like water is at risk.
