| Work Detail |
The Government opened envelopes to award the work of El Cadillal
“The Government of the Province of Tucumán fulfilled its promised word, it acted with total seriousness and responsibility. Today we have the necessary resources to repair the dam”, assured the President.
The governor, Osvaldo Jaldo, led this morning in the front office of the Government House the act of opening the direct contracting envelopes, after comparing prices, for the repair of the lateral dam number three of the Celestino Gelsi Hydroelectric Development Complex.
“It is an important day for the Province because today we have complied, once again, with the word promised as a Government to carry out this process of repairing the problems that the Celestino Gelsi Dam, known as El Cadillal, has. In this sense, we have been working during the month of January, a difficult month. The dam provides the supply of drinking water for the residents of Tucumán and supplies the sugar mills and the irrigation of the crops”, highlighted Jaldo.
The Governor was accompanied by: the Secretary General of the Interior, Silvia Pérez; the national deputies Mabel Carrizo and Rossana Chahla; National Senator Pablo Yedlin; the Secretary of Access to Health of the Nation, Sandra Tirado; the ministers Fabián Soria (Public Works and Services), Álvaro Simón Padrós (Productive Development), Eugenio Agüero Gamboa (Security), Luis Medina Ruiz (Public Health), Carolina Vargas Aignasse (Government and Justice) and Miguel Acevedo (Interior); the state prosecutor, Federico Nazur; Hebe Barber, Northern Regional Director of ORSEP; legislator Gabriel Yedlin and the secretary of Institutional Coordination of the Ministry of Public Works and Services, Marcelo Caponio.
Of the five invited companies, three presented themselves. The bidders were Mercovial SA and SABAVI SA (UTE), with a proposal for $688,975,058.01; Special Foundations SA, for $846,652,998.59; and José Cartellone Construcciones Civiles SA, with an offer of $1,074,654,961.16.
The following steps, Jaldo indicated, will be in charge of the Pre-Award and Adjudication Commission: “today the work passes into the hands of this commission, which is the one who makes the decision and will make the evaluations to choose the company. We are going to comply in a timely manner with the repairs of the El Cadillal dam”.
On the other hand, Jaldo recalled that everything that is the administration of El Cadillal “does not belong to the jurisdiction of Tucumán nor do we have powers over the decisions that are made with the services that are provided in the dam. We also have nothing to do with the concessions that are granted. However, considering the problem that the loss of water in the dam means, the repairs had to be made as quickly as possible and you know that we had the alternative of asking the Nation to make the repairs. In addition, it is the obligation of those who currently operate the dam to repair it, but for different reasons they cannot do so. In this sense, the Government of the Province will take charge of all the problems”.
Likewise, Jaldo remarked: “The Government of the Province kept its promised word, acted with total seriousness and responsibility. The decision to carry out this work on its own account occurs because there is a government that manages its finances and its budget well and has a surplus. Today we have the necessary resources to repair the dam”.
Regarding the transparency of the work, the President explained: "Today administrative controls are carried out by the Provincial Court of Accounts, an organization that will control preventively, in the development and in the end of all movements that will be carried out during the work” reported the President.
For his part, the Minister of Public Works and Services, Fabián Soria, said: “It is necessary to repair the leaks from dam number three in the shortest possible time. In a short time, due to the correct decision of the Governor, three weeks ago the file circulated through the Ministries of Productive Development, Public Works and Services and Economy, we have managed to get it out with national permits as it is not under the jurisdiction of the Province. The funds that the Province will invest will subsequently be claimed from whoever corresponds”.
The solution, the injection of cement into the cracks, "is the definitive one," Soria said. "There was an alternative, but the Governor decided to make the decision to solve the underlying problem," Soria said.
Regarding the deadlines for the work, Soria remarked that “we will make every effort to start on February 15. The Dam and Unloading Commission will seek to quickly issue an opinion" on the company that is chosen in the price comparison.
The rains increased
On the other hand, the Governor referred to the drought suffered by the entire country. However, last week the rains began in northern Argentina. “For water to start entering El Cadillal, it has to rain in the north of Tucumán and in the south of Salta. As these rains occurred, the rivers are already bringing water to have the levels we need to supply the Tucumans with water ”, he concluded. |
