Puerto Morelos, Q.R. — Municipal authorities have shut down two illegal real estate projects in Puerto Morelos. The two projects located along the Ruta de los Cenotes highway, were closed for a lack of environmental permits.
The illegal real estate projects were located on the Ruta de los Cenotes and were closed due to various irregularities. Puerto Morelos Mayor Blanca Merari Tziu Muñoz was part of the group that shut the projects Wednesday.
The real estate developments were closed by the heads of the Secretariat of the Environment, Óscar Rébora Aguilera and the Environmental Protection Attorney’s Office, Alonso Fernández Lemmen Meyer after citizen complaints.
“Together we are addressing and responding to the complaints we receive. In no way are we opposed to the development and growth of Puerto Morelos as long as it is done in an orderly manner and in compliance with the law and with all the necessary permits,” explained the Mayor.
The tours were carried out Wednesday by the municipal secretaries of Environment, Animal Welfare and Sustainable Mobility, Aimeé Regina Rodríguez Vivas, Urban Development, Rolando Melo Novelo, the coordinator of Civil Protection, Irma Ávila Méndez and personnel from the Inspection Department.
Mayor Tziu Muñoz noted that these types of inspection tours will continue.
“We will conduct tours to continue with this survey and say yes to developments, but in an orderly and regulated manner because we do not want Puerto Morelos to lose what characterizes it, the care of our jungle and our Route of the Cenotes,” she said.
In the area of the wells where an irregular settlement was closed, Secretary Oscar Rébora Aguilera said that the visit to the site was in response to a series of complaints. He reported that SEMA (the Secretary of Ecology) works together with the Environmental Protection Agency to prevent irregular real estate developments.
“This is an example of what should not be done. They built an area in an Environmental Management Unit where environmental strategies and guidelines are applied, in this case for the protection of water wells. We will not allow them to continue developing without an environmental permit,” he said.
The Attorney for Environmental Protection, Alonso Fernández Lemmen Meyer, recalled that complaints are essential for the authority to act and confirmed that today’s operation will be “constant and permanent” to verify that the developers have their environmental permits from the state and the municipality.
