Residents in southern Peru began a 24-hour protest today over the State’s torpid reconstruction efforts following the magnitude-8 earthquake on August 15, 2007. According to the Office of Police Operations (Ceopol) in Ica, protestors blocked kilometer 292 and 293 of the Pan-American South highway leading into Ica.
Protestors are calling for the immediate resignation of Southern Reconstruction Fund (FORSUR) president, Julio Favre, and rapid reconstruction of city infrastructure. The reconstruction effort has been tainted by alleged government mismanagement and corruption charges.
In a Radio Uno radio interview, Luis Enrique Gil, from the Coordinator for the Defense of Victims and the Reconstruction of Ica, said, “much of the help destined for Ica has still not arrived. An example is the 200,000 bags of cement donated by Cementos Lima for the reconstruction of educational institutes. Of those, only 12,000 are in Ica and they have still not been handed over.ยจ
Gil says the most immediate need is housing construction. He adds that soaring temperatures during the upcoming summer could cause illnesses from dehydration and endanger lives.
