The Government of Catamarca and the Municipality of Fiambalá held the Informative Hearing and Community Participation Meeting, in which they provided information and details to the community about a series of works and projects planned for the locality, which will be financed with mining resources. “We opened this space for dialogue so that every resource that comes in from mining activity is translated into concrete works that strengthen infrastructure, employment, services and opportunities for our people,” stated Mayor Raúl Úsqueda.
By Panorama Minero
During the day, technical presentations were carried out by the different areas of the Government. Authorities from the Ministry of Finance and Public Works, the Ministry of Labor, Planning and Human Resources, and the Ministry of Water, Energy and Environment. The presentations addressed the projects, the origin and destination of the mining trust funds, and the general criteria for intervention.
In a second stage of the activity, which took place at the facilities of Racing Club of Fiambalá, the stage of active citizen participation was opened, in which neighbors submitted questions and contributed opinions and concerns.
On the occasion, it was emphasized that the intention is to move forward with the construction of the municipal Sports Center, the enhancement of the Fiambalá Hot Springs complex, which is one of the main tourist attractions of the locality and the province of Catamarca, and the completion of the road to Chuquisaca to connect Fiambalá with Antofagasta de la Sierra, two key districts for the local lithium industry.
Irrigation works and canals on the Guanchín and Las Lozas rivers, a bypass in the locality of Palo Blanco, among other initiatives, were also proposed. A few days ago, the company Zijin-Liex committed an extraordinary contribution of US$400,000 for the acquisition of an ambulance for the locality of Laguna Blanca, a pickup truck for the community of Carachi, and to finance part of a new hospital in Palo Blanco.
“I want to listen to the needs of the people of Fiambalá, I want to build processes of participation and dialogue. Fiambalá needs to generate processes and find paths of will together. I want to give you peace of mind that we are here to help this locality and improve the quality of life of its inhabitants, because that is our function. Because we understand that the participatory process of listening and social demand is key to building a more just society,” highlighted the Minister of Government, Alberto Natella, who headed the provincial delegation.
He also described the day as “a historic opportunity to account for what we do, what province we want and where we are going, with funds that belong to all of you and always with citizen participation as the central axis of development.”
For his part, Governor Raúl Jalil highlighted on his social media that “the community of Fiambalá was the protagonist, in a space where we shared in detail the works and projects that will be financed with mining resources and listened firsthand to the needs of the neighbors.” “We provided clear information about the destination of the funds and opened dialogue to prioritize strategic works. Transparency, commitment and citizen participation continue to be the central axis of our local development,” he emphasized.
Mayor Raúl Úsqueda, for his part, highlighted that “local development is not a slogan, but a political decision that is built with planning, participation and commitment.” “We opened this space for dialogue so that every resource that enters Fiambalá, especially those coming from mining activity, is translated into concrete works that strengthen infrastructure, employment, services and opportunities for our people,” he stated.
