Semarnat will give information about the Maya Train to Deputies after the Revocation of Mandate

In addition, Morena's deputy, Joaquín Zebadúa, proposed that the meeting should not necessarily be with the Secretary of the Environment, María Luisa Albores

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FILE PHOTO: Mexico's Secretary of
FILE PHOTO: Mexico's Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, Maria Luisa Albores Gonzalez, speaks during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, November 10, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

The Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), headed by María Luisa Albores, asked the Chamber of Deputies to schedule the meeting to discuss what happens to section five of the Maya Train at a date after the Mandate Revocation, scheduled for Sunday, April 10.

Deputy Karen Castrejón Trujillo, of the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico (PVEM), proposed to the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources to wait until that date to pass to meet with Semarnat officials and learn the official information and subsequently determine whether to visit the works carried out on the stretch that goes from Cancun to Tulum.

Morena's deputy, Joaquín Zebadúa, considered that the meeting should not necessarily be with the Secretary of the Environment, María Luisa Albores, and said that before going to the area, it is necessary to gather technical elements to obtain timely information on the ground.

This possible meeting takes place within the framework of the allegations of possible ecological damage that works on underground systems (cenotes) will have on the grounds, considering that the outline was modified as we go. In addition to alerts for possible sinking in the area.

Screenshot of the images in Rio Secreto, Playa del Carmen. The video shows the serious effects on the underground river system due to the construction of the Maya Train
Secret River, Playa del Carmen. The video shows the serious effects on the underground river system due to the construction of the Maya Train (Twitter: @Mex_Liber1)

This Wednesday, March 30, Senators de Morena and his allies from the PES, PVEM and PT imposed themselves against the opposition seeking the appearance of Rogelio Jiménez Pons, former head of the Maya Train, and Javier May Rodríguez, the new manager of the project, to explain what he considers anomalies in the planning and execution of works in the Yucatan Peninsula.

With 52 votes against these appearances, 39 in favor and four abstentions, the Plenum of the Upper House rejected the point of agreement calling these two federal officials to account.

The purpose was for Jiménez Pons and May Rodríguez to explain the actions for the unnecessary cutting, removal and transplantation of more than 20,000 trees located on federal highway 307 Cancún-Tulum, as well as other environmental damage in the region.

Senator Panista, Xóchitl Gálvez stressed that the removal of the 20,000 trees was not authorized by the November 2020 Environmental Impact Manifestation (MIA) on the Maya Train construction project or considered as forest loss, or at least Fonatur does not have it published on its website, so the apparecencia addresses this inconsistency between the actions implemented with those carried out.

Infobae
The Maya Train project envisages jungle areas, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean in the states of Campeche, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Yucatan (Photo: Lopezobrador.org.mx)

To conclude the works on the Maya Train within the deadlines announced by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a new line has been made that not only affects the jungle - where thousands of trees have been cut down - but also to underground rivers, caves and cenotes, this has been reported by several non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which have shown some images of the destruction of the environment in Quintana Roo, a place known not only for its beautiful beaches nestled in the Mexican Caribbean, but also for its immense natural wealth and cultural.

Section 5 South, which covers Playa del Carmen and Tulum, is 60.3 kilometers long and was planned to be by an overpass which was being built on federal highway 307 Playa del Carmen-Tulum. But in the hurry to finish the works by the end of 2023, it will now pass at ground level through the jungle area that runs parallel to that federal road.

Although the government's argument is that the modification of the route “is the best decision” since it will not affect economic activity in the region and will meet the date set by the president, environmental groups say there are numerous environmental impacts.

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