The mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez, made clear on Monday that the town hall will not tolerate the latest planning violations in the Son Banya shanty town. These include the laying of a road, the creation of a roundabout and a huge neon sign announcing 'Las Vegas'. "If it had been up to me, the bulldozers would have gone in last week."
Having been advised by the National Police what had gone on, the town hall initiated inspection and sanctioning procedures. But these, the mayor conceded, can take time. "The procedures are not as agile as one would like." The criminality, i.e. the drug dealing, is a different matter and one that has been referred to the Spanish Government's delegation in the Balearics. This said, the two issues - the planning violations and the drugs trade - are clearly linked. There has been a reorganisation inside Son Banya that has created a separate zone specifically for drugs points of sale.
This isn't the first time that the town hall has been presented with planning infringements in Son Banya. Last summer, town hall workers were sent in to dismantle fortification consisting of burned-out cars, scrap metal and general rubbish. It was around this time that LED lighting was first installed as a system for guiding buyers to and from sales points.
Meanwhile, the process of dismantling the shanty town and rehousing the residents is very slow, this not helped by the fact that new dwellings have been appearing to replace ones that have been demolished. The contract for the company in charge of the demolitions has been extended, but the work is being hampered by significant delays in court eviction rulings.
A further issue is that the main point of contact for discussions with the Son Banya residents is currently in prison. Carlos Cortés, 'El Charly', the president of the Balearic Federation of Gypsy Associations, was arrested by the Guardia Civil in March last year as part of an investigation into the import of cocaine to Mallorca.
4 comments
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Zoltan TeglasHow many times has this happened and nothing ever gets done. Makes you wonder who is on the take doesn't it.
Kick them out and they will regroup elsewhere. Effectively it's just kicking the can down the road. Not that this is positive, but at least the police know where they are. Stop and search every vehicle that goes in and out.
Build a wall around it, keep them all in one place, control the road going in and out. Thats it. Integration into society of these gangs does not work and only widens the misery they bring on normal law abiding citizens.
This could be stopped immediately if they really wanted to. Have the cops stationed at the entrance 24 hours a day. No one would be stupid enough to try and enter.