Bacalar, Q.R. — Authorities have reached an agreement for the recovery of 30 hectares of land invaded in bad faith in Bacalar. The recovered 30 hectares is part of a 100-hectare legal battle ongoing since 2016.
The land, granted to Quintana Roo by the Federation, was designed to facilitate the urban growth of Bacalar. However, the ejidos argued that part of these lands overlapped its territory, given that its constitution predates the federal allocation.
Alberto Alonso Ovando, the Director of the Strategic Projects Agency (Agepro), says they have begun the legalization process of those 30 hectares. The lands in dispute are located in the coastal area and are being legalized in collaboration with the College of Appraisers of the State of Quintana Roo.
According to the head of Agepro, this conflict has allowed authorities to see an opportunity to plan the orderly growth of Bacalar. Currently, work is planned to convert up to 5,000 hectares of common Bacalar ejido lands to full federal ownership, which will allow for the urban development of the area under a regulated and sustainable plan.
In 2016, a judge issued a precautionary measure that prevented any intervention in the disputed lands paralyzing development, however, this encouraged people to invade these lands in bad faith, with false titles and documents.
Alonso Ovando confirmed that false titles and illegal documents have been detected, but many owners, in good faith, have begun to regularize their properties. He says this process will also put an end to more than eight years of uncertainty, allowing Bacalar to grow in an orderly and legal manner.
