When Palma's mayor, Jaime Martínez, learned of the latest illegal works carried out at the Son Banya shanty town, his response was that if it had been up to him, the bulldozers would have been sent in immediately.
Not quite immediately perhaps, but the town hall will be demolishing the 90-metre road, the roundabout, huts and other buildings to have emerged recently. "Just as we always do with illegal works," the town hall notes.
Arrangements for this operation, said to be well advanced, will have the support of Palma Police and the National Police, who will guarantee that workers are not attacked and harassed by Son Banya residents.
It was evident in late January that something was going to happen in Son Banya, as rubbish had been cleared away and some barricades had been taken down. In February, work began. By the end of the month this resulted in the road and the roundabout and all the drug sales points having been set up near to the roundabout.
Town hall inspectors have since taken photos of all this as evidence of illegal works. They also have the number plates of some trucks to have come and gone in recent weeks and want to identify the builders of the road. As to fining individuals in Son Banya, this is problematic. The site is actually owned by the government's Ibavi housing agency and not the town hall. Technically this may mean that anyone identified as having been responsible could be declared insolvent and unable to pay fines.
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Excellent news. To destroy that complete area is urgently needed. However, these Drug People will then start up in another area. What the Councils involved must immediatley destroy any new constructions. Mallorca has a bad reputation for drug use. Some Tourists come to get drugs. I feel Mallorca must make the destruction of any drug supply, a number One Priority.
Insolvent, seriously?