The candidate of Juntos pelo Povo (JPP) for the presidency of the Municipality of Câmara de Lobos, Miguel Ganança, has expressed his concern about the isolation of the population of Curral das Freiras, especially during periods of bad weather, when road traffic is often conditioned or interrupted.
The statements follow the celebrations of the Municipality Day, where the President of the Regional Government once again reaffirmed the intention to, in the future, build a tunnel connecting Curral das Freiras and Jardim da Serra. In a note issued, the JPP warns that the promise has been on repeat for the past seven years without any evidence to show that it will go ahead.
The new connection is a promise that “has been repeated for decades, but without, to date, any public tender has been opened to study all possible hypotheses and alternatives,” says Miguel Ganança.
Miguel Ganança emphasises that the discussion about this work must be grounded in thorough and technical planning: “This is the key question, the fundamental issue. No matter what choice is made, it’s crucial to analyze all the alternatives. Currently, from a political standpoint, there is a series of intentions, but what people need to understand is whether these intentions are practical, achievable, and, most importantly, whether they truly address the population’s needs… or if they are merely political ambitions.”
The candidate also stresses that the structural works for the Autonomous Region of Madeira “cannot continue to be launched only as campaign slogans,” defending the need for proposals supported by technical studies. “More important than announcing a solution is to ensure that this solution is the best, and this will only be possible with a rigorous, technical, and independent study, with an environmental, geological, and geotechnical impact assessment, which allows the identification of the safest, most sustainable, and most advantageous route for the populations.”
According to Miguel Ganança, over the years, several alternatives have been presented to improve access to Curral das Freiras, including connections through Ribeira dos Socorridos or a possible exit to Boa Ventura, but none have been the subject of economic feasibility studies or cost-benefit analysis. “For more than a decade, promises and intentions have been heard, but we have never reached the stage of a real and comparative study between the different routes. What hindered the study of other pathways? Why have alternatives never been analysed that could even better serve the population?” He asks.
If he is elected mayor, Miguel Ganança is committed to demanding greater transparency and commitment from the Regional Government regarding the process.
“I will demand transparency and seriousness from the Regional Government in this process, to show what has already been done, what is underway, and what is intended to be studied. Curral das Freiras cannot continue to depend on a single access road, vulnerable to bad weather, but neither can it be held hostage to individual political decisions. The population has the right to concrete answers, based on technical studies and not on electoral intentions. Only with a complete, serious, and reasoned assessment will it be possible to define the best solution and finally guarantee safety and dignity to the populations of Curral das Freiras, Câmara de Lobos, and all of Madeira.”
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
