Bacalar, Q.R. — Construction on the upcoming Casa Bacalar at the lagoon waterfront has been temporarily put on hold. The 48 hour hold is in response to public protest and allegations of no permits.
The Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional (Sedena) began removing vegetation in January, however, it was not until heavy machinery arrived in March that people began to ask questions.
Sedena is constructing a rest or retirement home for military personnel. According to the Secretariat of National Defense, the so-called Casa Bacalar will be a rest stop for “soldiers stressed by the work they do in protection of the Nation.”
According to available information, the updated project will now only consist of three bedrooms, a kitchen, pool and other amenities, a significant downsize from the initial plan of a large-scale facility.
The project was given the go-ahead by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) who exempted Sedena from processing environmental permits, according to information provided by the military institution to the Citizen Council of Bacalar.
Casa Bacalar is being constructed directly in front of the San Felipe Bacalar Fort and at the foot of the lagoon. Community pressure has been the said cause for the modification and now halt to the waterfront project.
On Thursday, that same group began collecting signatures for a public document requesting an explanation as to why Sedena was exempt from processing environmental permits.
The document, addressed to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) and the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), requests justification for the exemption of permits granted for the construction.
Copies will also be sent to President Claudia Sheinbaum, arguing that the project has caused evident environmental damage, which they have documented with images. More than 5,000 signatures have already been collected.
Last week, State Secretary Cristina Torres said Sedena had the necessary permits to go ahead with construction.
