By Gissel Taveras
El Inmobiliario
SANTO DOMINGO.- Former president of the Dominican College of Engineers, Architects and Surveyors (Codia), engineer Teodoro Tejada, yesterday described as "worrying and dangerous" the conflict generated between the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and the Dominican Association of Housing Builders and Promoters (Acoprovi), due to the delay in the environmental permits that this state body grants to housing builders and promoters to undertake their projects.
Tejada questioned whether the president of Acoprovi, Annerys Meléndez, was lying when she stated that project authorization permits take between six and eight months to be issued, which “causes a bottleneck” in the construction sector.
He added that, according to engineer Meléndez's complaint, the slow pace of work at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources creates problems, not only due to the impact on the housing construction sector, but also because of the negative repercussions on competitiveness, investments, and the business climate.
The construction businessman also urged President Abinader to intervene to resolve the situation as soon as possible, because Acoprovi's directors have approached the authorities to seek a solution to the conflict, but so far they have not received a convincing response.
He deplored that the bureaucratic obstacles placed in the way of obtaining environmental permits for housing construction projects in the country are generating concern among representatives of the sector, because they delay the start of the projects.
Engineer Tejada estimated that the feasibility assessment of these projects should not exceed 30 to 45 days, because it generates losses for the entrepreneurs in that sector, slows down job creation and reduces the dynamism of the commercial sector, mainly the hardware sector.
The complaint
This week, several construction industry associations issued a joint statement complaining about the Ministry of Environment's delays in granting permits for construction projects. The head of Acoprovi, who acted as the group's spokesperson, asserted that the construction sector could be losing approximately RD$45 billion in new investments in residential projects due to the delays in obtaining environmental permits from the government agency.
“Historically, builders have approached us to find solutions to the issue of procedures and to ensure they are carried out quickly. In the last year, although we have made several initiatives and proposals to the current regulations, we have not received a satisfactory response,” they emphasized.
