In February of this year, the president broke ground on the project, which aims to establish greater controls between the neighboring Haitian people.
SANTO DOMINGO – An irate President Luis Abinader yesterday blamed politicians from another party for allegedly inducing landowners where the border fence is being built to engage in “usury” by charging exorbitant prices per square meter, and for “detaining the contractors working on the project, demanding that the government pay them.”
Abinader urged politicians to "stop playing politics" regarding a project he asserted is fundamental for the country. "Because what we have there are politicians from other parties acting like loan sharks, telling people to go and charge exorbitant amounts of money and charging exorbitant prices per square meter. We also need to have a sense of Dominican identity and nationalism. Besides, it's smart for them to have a fence protecting their properties," the head of state stated, clearly annoyed.
"Regarding some delays, as happens in all public construction projects, it is because we declared that area to be of public utility, as you know, and there are many landowners who are preventing contractors from entering their land until they are paid," he stated.
He assured that the government will pay them, "I also want to say that although we are going to pay them, I also feel some pain towards many of those friends who told us that we had to protect them from the Haitian cattle rustling, so, when the fence is finished, what will happen is that the value of their properties will increase, so I ask them to be a little more aware in their demands," the president expressed.
He reported that the first stage of construction of that fence will be "delivered on time" and that they are already in the bidding process for the second stage which "has more to do" with the technological elements.
Over the fence
In February of this year, Abinader broke ground on the project that seeks to establish greater controls between the neighboring Haitian people and the border with Dajabón, a province located in the Northwest of the Dominican Republic.
At the inauguration, the head of state said that in its first stage it will have 160 kilometers of physical fence consisting of a reinforced concrete wall and a metal structure 3.90 meters high, for patrolling by the more than 10,000 military personnel stationed on the borders.
It will have 170 surveillance and control towers, in addition to 71 access gates. The first phase will consist of 54 kilometers of physical fencing with 19 surveillance towers, 10 access gates with 54 patrol roads, and will be built in about nine months; with an investment of more than RD$1.75 billion.
The border fence will be segmented into 6 sections distributed as follows: section 1 and 2 in Dajabón and Monte Cristi, with a length of 25.3 kilometers; section 3 in Elías Piña, with 3.5 kilometers; section 4 and 5 in Jimaní, with 17.2 kilometers; and section 6 in Pedernales, with 7.8 kilometers.
