Reiterates decision to create the new Municipal Technical Supervision and Buildings Department.
Santiago.- The mayor of Santiago, Ulises Rodríguez, reported that the construction work in process of construction that recently collapsed in this city had been notified and previously halted by the council, because it did not have the approved plans required to continue the work.
Accompanied by the technical team from the Urban Planning Office, Rodriguez explained that regarding the commercial plaza project, he had only received the request for non-objection to land use, without advancing to the subsequent stages of structural validation.
“La aprobación estructural le corresponde al Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Comunicaciones (MOPC), y estamos a la espera de que se pronuncien sobre esa parte”, señaló el alcalde.
According to the statement, the council detected the irregularity in 2020, when the non-objection was requested for a commercial premises with two levels, one part with a basement and another without a basement, without presenting the corresponding structural plans.
“Por eso se ordenó la paralización inmediata de la obra, ya que sin planos no se puede verificar la seguridad del diseño”, agregó Rodríguez.
The mayor reaffirmed that these events confirm the need to create the Municipal Technical Supervision and Buildings and Public Safety Directorate, whose formation was recently announced.
Rodríguez highlighted that the Municipality of Santiago will be the first in the country to implement a department of this type, with the capacity to inspect buildings, monitor unauthorized changes of use, and verify compliance with technical and safety regulations.
The Deputy Director of Urban Planning, Yubelkis Angélica González Peña, explained that the request for non-objection to land use is only the first step in the process of approving a construction project.
“Sirve para determinar si lo que se desea construir es compatible con la zonificación del lugar. Por ejemplo, si se trata de una plaza comercial, se requiere espacio suficiente para parqueos y acceso adecuado”, puntualizó.
He added that without the presentation and approval of the structural plans, the City Council does not allow the construction to continue, and warned that controls and sanctions will be reinforced to prevent new illegal constructions or those without proper authorization.
