Cozumel, Q.R. — The Secretary of Urban Development says they have found approximately 150 invaded government-owned lots on the island of Cozumel. The government agency is warning islanders about the possibility of fraud due to the illegal sale of those lots.
Genaro Sena Vidal, the Cozumel Director of Liaison and Housing of the Secretaría de Desarrollo Territorial Urbano Sustentable (Sedetus), explained that the problem originates from the lack of follow-up in the delivery and formal occupation of the land.
He said that lack of follow-up has lead to invaded land, irregular sales and conflicts between owners. He said to complicate matters, some land has been cleared and construction started, which now requires complex legal procedures to have the invader removed.
“We are putting this problem in order. In several instances, people who were registered as beneficiaries have come to report that their properties have been occupied,” he said.
The Director clarified that, although Sedetus provides support, it is the legitimate owners who must file complaints with the Prosecutor’s Office to initiate the corresponding legal process. In the meantime, Sedetus has started hanging informative notices on the cleared lots to discourage occupation.
The Strategic Projects Agency of the State of Quintana Roo (Agepro) says they are taking legal action against at least one of the invaders. An island street vendor who has been notified that the land he is on is government owned, has refused to leave. The man is without occupancy permits or authorization to engage in commercial activities.
Marco Antonio Mendoza Quijano, the Director of Agepro Cozumel, says despite multiple appeals, the vendor has ignored them and has even begun construction on the land.
Due to the merchant’s refusal to vacate, the agency’s legal department will proceed according to law, since invading public property is a crime that can result in penalties, including imprisonment, he said.
He noted that 152 government-owned properties have been invaded in Cozumel. A large number of those properties are under the control of Sedetus. The lots have been earmarked for government use to address the island’s housing shortage.
Sena Vidal says although many of the lots have beneficiaries, they run the risk of invasion as long as they remain unpaid for, meaning they have not been officially delivered, or built on.
