SANTO DOMINGO- Luis Carvajal, spokespersonfor the Coalition for the Defense of Protected Areas, denounced yesterday, Monday, that the land where the Bucanyé hotel complex is planned to be built in Pedernales, has been undervalued at a price of US$0.50 cents per square meter.
According to the figure offered on the Telesistema program "El Día," the price per square meter in that geographical area of the South averages US$37 per square meter.
He explained that the transaction would cover at least 14 million square meters at a price of 0.50 cents of a dollar, which would represent a large amount of money that the Dominican State would stop receiving.
"When you multiply the difference by 14 million and that by 54, you will realize the enormous amount that a person can appropriate in a simple irregular, mafia-like operation, as some might say. These are significant thefts that are impoverishing Dominican society," Carvajal said.
He also said that real estate transactions of this type should be investigated to verify whether they have paid their taxes and are in compliance with the laws of the country.
"The important thing is to respect the public nature, the environmental integrity, the democratic character, and the fundamental thing is that anyone who violates the environmental procedure must be sanctioned and brought to justice," he declared.
He argued that development is not about appropriation and that infrastructure can be built in the area, but outside of protected areas.
He is not opposed to tourism development
Carvajal said that, like all protected areas, the zone where the complex is planned cannot be privatized. He believes it is an area that can be incorporated into the region's tourism development, but without expropriating state land.
"What interests the coalition is that the Dominican justice system investigates in depth why a private individual can suddenly appear with a title in a public space where the Constitution and two laws specifically state that it cannot be done... and if the Constitution says so, there is nothing to discuss," he added.
He stated that the "mafia" of distributing state land has been passed down from government to government and that the Minister of the Environment cannot claim ignorance because he visited the area with the Jaragua Group, therefore he cannot claim ignorance, "besides, ignorance is not an argument before the law.".
He added that there is plenty of land available for hotels and that one of the criteria that should prevail in construction is not to touch protected areas.
"No one can fence off a protected area; that only happens in a country without proper governance. The justice system should thoroughly investigate how a private entity can claim ownership of a protected area," the environmental advocate stated.
