concern for public space in El Rodadero

According to Camilo George, at the beginning of Mayor Carlos Pinedo’s government, it was found that The Rodadero was in an advanced state of deterioration.

George points out that, after reviewing the situation, he discovered that a private entity, Pro-Rodadero, was in charge of coordinating institutional and economic actions with merchants in the area.

“We are taking away a great business from that private actor called Pro-Rodadero, to return it to the Community Action Board, to the inhabitants of El Rodadero, returning public goods to the people and obviously that is bothering those who we took away. business,” said Camilo George.

Among the findings that George mentions, a public office seized by a debt of more than $250 million, which was used by Pro-Rodaderoand some privatized bathrooms that generate more than $40 million a month, resources that he says could easily be reinvested in the median and other improvements in the area.

These irregularities, according to the government secretary, have contributed to deteriorating the image and tourist activity in El Rodadero.

“They have not understood that they no longer govern and that is why they seek at all costs to prevent our work to recover the area that they themselves brought to chaos,” said George.

George’s accusations point directly to Iván Calderónwho during Virna Johnson’s mayoralty served as Secretary of Economic Development and has been director and advisor of Pro-Rodadero since 2016 of its creation in the Chamber of Commerce.

Camilo George affirms that in visits with inspectors to informal merchants, he has learned that many of them are affiliated with Pro-Rodadero and pay a monthly fee to obtain an operating permit.

According to the official, Pro-Rodadero has tried to prevent the recovery of the area due to the decisions of the current administration of take away the control he had over the beach and its surroundings.

“What is being done in El Rodadero is historic. Never in these 12 years has there been a comprehensive intervention like the one we have been leading,” said George.

The questions raised by Camilo George, government secretary of the Mayor’s Office of Santa Marta, did not take long to receive a response. Iván Calderón, former secretary of economic development and key figure in the tourism promoter Pro-Rodadero, forcefully rejected the accusations, describing them as attempts by the mayor’s office to divert attention from its own incompetence in solving the security and public order problems that currently affect serious way to El Rodadero.

“This official’s thing is personal with me, although I no longer have anything to do with Pro-Rodadero because his father, Elías George, wanted to be the director of the promoter, but the merchants chose me. That’s where his hatred towards this comes from. company that has done a great job in this tourism sector,” said Calderón.

Calderón maintained that since the arrival of Carlos Pinedo’s government, El Rodadero has fallen into chaos due to the suspension of public space controls, which has been taken advantage of by informal vendors to take over the median and adjacent streets.

Furthermore, he highlighted that, although he no longer holds any position in Pro-Rodadero, he continues to advise the entity and maintain contact with local merchants, who complain of the disorder that has them mired in a crisis on the verge of bankruptcy.

“Many businesses are about to close permanently due to the amount of street sales, high public services and extortion that have been victims of criminal organizations,” said Calderón.

The former Secretary of Economic Development made a delicate accusation against Camilo Georgesaying that “he seems to be a cover-up for the self-defense groups that threaten the business of El Rodadero so that they pay fees for supposed surveillance and so that they can work in peace. That is the real problem that exists in this area and that they have wanted to hide with this smoke screen”.

(Also: The last straw: a truck with musical instruments crashed on the Ciénaga-Barranquilla road and was looted by the community)

Calderón recalled that since 2016, with the support of businessmen from El Rodadero, Pro-Rodadero has worked hand in hand with district administrations to promote sustainable tourism and promote activities that strengthen order and the economy of the sector.

However, this year, the Government Secretariat has sought to delegitimize and dismantle Pro-Rodadero, according to Calderón, as retaliation for his association with the previous government.

“The operating contract runs until 2026, but we understand that they want to end it regardless of the management that had been achieved. As a result of all this, Pro-Rodadero protected the mayor’s office for due process and persecution of the foundation by the secretary of government,” Calderón reported.