On the occasion of the festivals of San Juan and San Pedro, Councilman Miller Osorio made a strong criticism of the “cantinas, dens for selling liquor and hallucinogens, and places of prostitution”, located in the downtown area of Neiva, the epicenter of the festival.
CATERIN MANCHOLA
@cate_manchola
The Neiva Council held a political control debate with the municipal Secretariats of Culture and Competitiveness, where topics such as boxes, cultural managers, San Pedro festivities and security were discussed on the occasion of San Juan and San Pedro.
It should be remembered that more than a dozen terrorist acts have been perpetrated in the capital Opita through the use of explosive devices.
One of the strongest criticisms came from Councilman Miller Osorio, emphasizing that San Pedro festivities are not only about organizing events, but also about “knowing how these events are sold to locals and strangers,” striving to leave “the best impression.” .
But, “that good impression has not yet dazzled her,” he noted. And she stated: “I see that the downtown continues to be invaded by criminals, by people who consume hallucinogens.” He added that the tourist area such as the Malecón, a central part of several points on the Sampedrina agenda, is reached by two routes and one of them necessarily involves going through the downtown, however, insecurity there is very high: “people always get assaulted “They steal their belongings.”
He also rejected that “the downtown is invaded by pure cantinas, pure dens selling liquor and hallucinogens, and places of prostitution, what are we going to do then to sell something when our ‘house’ is not organized?” In short, he questioned what has been done to recover that area, since the establishments are increasing.
For the lobbyist, it is definitely a “bad image that we are selling to tourists, to Neiva residents themselves” and he pointed out that Eighth Street “is already called ‘cartridge street’.”
According to his perspective, the tolerance zone should be in the south, not in the ‘heart’ of the city, so that “it does not tarnish the good image that Neiva has, especially at this time, which is when we show our folklore and Sanjuanero.” “Huilense.”
The secretaries
On this point, the Secretary of Competitiveness, Edwin Valencia, said that “multiple cleaning campaigns” have been carried out, accompanied by the Police, businessmen in the area and the community. And that the Women’s Secretariat is developing a program that benefits homeless people. But he did not refer to commercial establishments.
In turn, the Secretary of Competitiveness, Tania Beatriz Peñafiel España, reported that 200 security guards will contribute to security in this area of the city, who will not act as police officers, but will contribute to order.
The secretary added that 450 police officers have already arrived in the city to serve as security reinforcements, thanks to a contribution made by the municipal administration.
Likewise, the Government of Huila reaffirmed the commitment of 600 million pesos to have the transfer of the rest of the police during the course of this week, that is, 550 people. “There has always been talk of a total of 1,000 police officers,” he said.
Regarding the boxes, the Secretary of Competitiveness, Edwin Valencia, reported that in total there were 24 commercial structures – for 17 businessmen – and six more for sponsors and entities such as the Mayor’s Office and the Government. He highlighted that so far, the municipality has received more than 400 million pesos through the rental of these and other spaces (2 × 2 and 3 × 3), which is more than four times what was obtained during last year’s festivities. , according to the official.
Several councilors raised the possibility of lower public sales prices to enter the boxes, but the Secretariat made it clear that they cannot be regulated as they are private initiatives.
Councilors Héctor Javier Osorio Botello, Ramiro Vidal, Miller Osorio Montenegro, Félix Felipe Trujillo and Juan Diego Amaya Palencia were summoned to the control debate.
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