Officials point out that “there are several provinces and municipalities without directors” of the Housing program, which has barely completed 39% of its activities.
14ymedio, Madrid, 2 October 2024 — Of the 13,492 homes that the 2024 plan had planned, as of August only 5,262 had been built, 39%. The figure is even worse when compared to the number needed on the island, it represents 1.1% of the 447,375 properties that, according to the Government in June, are required to meet demand. In three months between the end of May, when the count stood at 3,579 homes, and August, only 2,047 were built.
The data, part of the report presented at the meeting between Prime Minister Manuel Marrero and the governors, is not the only negative one. According to the official press, “all provinces show setbacks” in the local production program of construction materials, another conclusion that must not have satisfied the Cuban government, which is determined to delegate the issue to the territories.
Nancy Acosta Hernández, head of the Office for Assistance to Local Administrations, pointed out an unprecedented element in these analyses. According to the official, the Housing Program at the territorial level is being affected by the lack of human resources. “There are serious weaknesses in the appointment of staff, since there are several provinces and municipalities without directors in this area,” she generalized.
“All provinces show setbacks” in the local production program of construction materials
Staff shortages have been widespread on the island since the largest exodus in recent Cuban history began at the end of 2022, but in the case of executives, this shortage can also be attributed to the decline in the number of Communist Party cadres, a fact denounced on several occasions by Party leaders.
Havana, Camagüey, Las Tunas, Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo are the territories where the situation is worst, a problem largely due to “the marked limitations of resources,” as the director said, calling for “urgent reversal” of this situation “which, although it will not translate into higher levels of cement and steel, which are very deficient today, will contribute to optimizing the available resources.”
Acosta Hernández was most likely referring to the progress of the program promoted by the authorities since the middle of last year for the manufacture of bricks with clay. “We live in a country rich in clay; in other regions there is natural sand, limestone. There is a diversity of natural resources that together make up different alternatives and possibilities for each of the regions to obtain their own materials for construction,” said Delilah Díaz Hernández, Director General of Materials of the Ministry of Construction, as she asked to build houses without cement as far as possible. In the same speech, the increase in the export of marble, mortar, grey cement and processed sand was announced “as the only way to obtain income.”
In the months since then, various ministers and senior officials have scolded local authorities for not following the guidelines properly, and although reports in the provincial press of successful local brick and ceramic production thanks to kilns, whether ecological or not, have not ceased, the tally has not yet been added up, spurred on by the energy crisis.
Salvador Valdés Mesa, vice president and one of the most emphatic high-ranking officials when it comes to blaming subordinates and citizens for non-compliance in all areas, insisted that autonomy has been given to municipalities, but that this entails responsibilities. “Not only are fuel and the allocation of foreign currency decentralized, this is a decentralization of decisions, which are assumed by the Government,” he said.
“It is not just fuel or the allocation of foreign currency that is being decentralized, this is a decentralization of decisions, which are assumed by the Government”
Other issues of local interest were discussed at the meeting, such as the deficient water supply service, the delivery of idle land, the slowness of the bureaucracy and “territorial planning,” in reference to illegal constructions, which will be legalized with a recent decree that, however, prohibits those built after the rule.
Manuel Marrero also insisted on the message that price controls are not a declaration of war on the private sector, in light of the complaints of some merchants. “We are not against points of sale, as long as they comply with the law, do not violate the planning, have fair prices and legal products,” he said, despite criticism from private companies about the fairness of prices. “We have responsibilities to cover, such as salaries, rent for the premises, freight of goods, electricity, legal services, taxes…”, a merchant from Villa Clara recently denounced to this newspaper.
The Prime Minister also noted that these days accountability meetings are being held, “which – he praised – constitute the very essence of Cuban democracy.” Marrero asked that these meetings be used to exchange ideas with the population. “All the cadres, at all levels, have to speak with the people.”
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