Playa del Carmen, Q.R. — After a meeting between the CFE and municipal head Lili Campos, an agreement was made to reconnect the electrical services for the residents of In-House.
The reestablishment of the electrical services came with a condition. Until now, a majority of residents had been utilizing the connected power system illegally for their homes. Upon reestablishment, homes without a meter will have to install one.
Homes that already have a meter and proof of a paid bill will have their power reconnected first. Playa del Carmen city council made a statement on the issue saying “we cannot allow a social problem to be generated, which has already had an impact. They (CFE) cut the power, which is not a new issue.
“It has been approximately five years that they have provided the energy, but overnight, they cut them off and we had no knowledge of it. It is clear that it is a CFE issue, but in the government, we cannot allow these types of problems to develop.
“The lack of power affects their rights to health and to education, as the residents themselves have mentioned, since they cannot refrigerate their medications, and their children cannot connect to their online classes.”
Last week, residents set up a road block in protest of the electricity cut, which was felt by the entire In-House community, including the 82 families who have meters. Two days after the roadblock, CFE demanded a community payment of 71 million peso to reconnect the service.
The municipal government has since stepped in saying that CFE must find a solution or take the dispute elsewhere. “In the end, they (CFE) agreed they are not going to charge the residents until they install a meter. From there, they pay,” Campos said.
The irregular settlement of In-House, which is located in the city’s extreme west, has been an ongoing problem for CFE for several years. People outside the CFE installed private transformers and made direct connections to a large number of homes.
CFE employees sent to the area to disconnect the illegal connections have been physically threatened in the past.
The electrical supply to community residents without a meter will be reestablished within 48 hours. Those who have meters will be reconnected immediately.
