SANTO DOMINGO. – President Luis Abinader announced yesterday, Thursday, the allocation of RD$4 billion for the construction of sidewalks and curbs in both municipalities and municipal districts throughout the national territory.
The announcement was made by the ruler during a working meeting with mayors and municipal directors at the headquarters of the Dominican Municipal League (LMD).
The president announced that the first transfer of RD$2 billion will be made next week and that the remaining funds will be available as the projects are implemented and the established requirements are met.
"If that execution is correct and of high quality, you can be sure that we will continue to invest," the president stated after the announcement.
The head of state also announced that work is underway to improve the solid waste trust fund , with the aim of further strengthening the investment capacity of local governments , always respecting the Constitution and the laws.
During the meeting, President Abinader said he would evaluate the possibility of allocating new funds for municipal works with high social impact , such as funeral homes, cemeteries, markets and slaughterhouses , which could be announced in November, at the next meeting with local authorities.
President Abinader, along with government officials, met with mayors at the Dominican Municipal League. (External source).
Asphalted
He also referred to the national paving plan and indicated that the Ministry of Public Works will launch a far-reaching tender starting in October, whose work will also be coordinated with the municipalities.
President Abinader urged mayors to execute quickly , but in compliance with legal processes .
The distribution must be done in an equitable, fair, and proportional to the population, as in previous experiences, the president concluded.
This plan will continue the sidewalk and curb construction component already implemented in the 2022-2024 period under the Local Government Support Program , with a budget of RD 3.2 billion, which impacted the entire national territory with 1,691,251 linear meters of sidewalks and curbs that improved pedestrian mobility conditions for more than 200,000 direct beneficiaries and almost 5 million indirect beneficiaries.
For his part, the president of the LMD, Víctor D'Aza , explained that the resources of this National Plan for the Improvement of Pedestrian Infrastructure will be distributed under criteria that guarantee territorial equity in such a way that they will be assigned to each territory according to three parts of 33.33% each , in which the first part will be distributed to all local governments.
A second allocation of 33.33% will be applied based on population criteria , which will be added to the first allocation, and the third portion of 33.33% will address community demands and high-need needs. He clarified that, in the case of the National District , the Presidency of the Republic has established a specific plan , so it will not be considered in this budget.
President Abinader was accompanied by the Minister of the Presidency, José Ignacio Paliza, and the President of the Dominican Federation of Municipal Districts (Fedodim), Leoncito José Sencilie.
