The government of Badalona (Barcelonès Nord) and the main opposition party, the PSC, have once again engaged in a dialectical battle. On this occasion the point of conflict is the deadlines to execute the Pont del Petroli project. While the socialists accuse the government of lying when they announce that the AMB approved the project, the PP affirms that "the technical project has been approved" and only one administrative procedure is missing: the approval of Costas del Estado.
For Daniel Gracia, Councilor for Territory and Sustainability, the PSC "has taken my words out of context" when he referred to a delay in the project due to bureaucratic problems. Ferran Carrera, president of the socialist municipal group, stated that the government "can no longer excuse itself in bureaucratic obstacles" after four months of having held a press conference to announce with great fanfare the work schedule" that guaranteed that it would begin in spring, and affirms that "since then they have not lifted a finger." In addition, the socialist spokesperson also accused the Councilor for Communication, Rosa del Amo of having "lied when declaring that the Barcelona Metropolitan Area had approved the project."
In reality, both are partly right. And the AMB assures that the final approval will be carried out when certain studies required by the State Coastal Department have been carried out "both for the repair of the bridge and for its administrative concession." This procedure, for the government of Xavier Garcia Albiol, shows that "the technical project is approved by the AMB" after passing the mandatory audit, as stated by councilor Daniel Gracia, who nevertheless clarified that the final one will be approved when "we receive the approval of Costas".
Already in the political arena, the discussion has raised the tone and Carrera demanded that the government "stop hiring parties and Christmas trees" and prioritize the Pont del Petroli. On the other hand, Daniel Gracia revealed that "if the project has been delayed it is because it was in a drawer" because the invoices of the engineering that drafted it had not been paid. In other words, Gracia affirms, "the PSC's lack of knowledge about the situation of the Pont del Petroli project" is due to the fact that "for months it was kept in the engineering drawer, untouched." Evidently, the company that drafted the project, he states, "gave it to us when we guaranteed payment" which could also enter into the context of bureaucratic obstacles.
