MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Federal gov't to rebuild Rio Grande do Sul's roads, says Lula

“Bureaucracy will not stand in the way of us recovering the greatness of this state,” said Lula

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced Sunday that the Federal government would provide the funding for the reconstruction of every road in the State of Rio Grande do Sul destroyed by the storms, be them national or local, Agência Brasil reported. The head of state also pledged to reduce the bureaucracy involved in the work.

“I know that the state has a difficult financial situation, I know that there are many roads with problems. I want to tell you that the federal government, through the Transport Ministry, will help you recover the state roads,” said Lula in a speech after flying over the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, together with Speakers Arthur Lira (Lower House) and Rodrigo Pacheco (Senate) together with Federal Supreme Court (STF) Deputy Chief Justice Edson Fachin.

“Bureaucracy will not stand in the way of us recovering the greatness of this state,” said Lula, who also called for public authorities to act preventively from now on to reduce the impact of extreme weather events. “We need to stop chasing misfortune. We need to see in advance what could happen so that we can work,” he added.

Lula made the statement after a meeting with Governor Eduardo Leite; Porto Alegre Mayor Sebastião Melo; and other mayors from Rio Grande do Sul. It was Lula's second trip to Rio Grande do Sul since the floods began. On Thursday, he met with Leite in Santa Maria to have a first-hand impression of the ongoing calamity.

Leite insisted that the state was going through the biggest climate catastrophe in history and warned of the risk of shortages and collapse in several areas, due to the closure of Salgado Filho Airport, the blockages and destruction of highways and the lack of energy and water in several locations. Once the victims have been rescued, the authorities will focus on reactivating the state's industry, he also explained.

“We're monitoring the impact on production chains, because the animals aren't arriving, the slaughterhouse was also hit, collapsed. This naturally affects the lives of the workers, but there is also a question of supply. So action will have to be taken in this area. The impact on industry, due to supplies that won't arrive, or the companies that supply and have been hit, stoppages in industrial plants, which will require economic measures,” said the governor.

Melo called for the rapid arrival of resources to the municipalities so that reconstruction work can begin as soon as possible. In the state capital itself, he pointed out, there is a lack of equipment to deal with a climate tragedy on this scale. According to him, the problem is even more serious in the interior of the state. “There is a shortage of boats, dinghies and vests in the city. I'm talking about my city, but this extends to dozens of municipalities and it can't wait. It has to happen today, it has to happen now”, said Melo. The mayor pointed out that 70% of the city is without water and that there is a shortage of diesel for the water trucks and oxygen for the hospitals, but said that, right now, the public authorities need to focus on saving lives.

The Federal Government has deployed some 900 troops, 30 helicopters, and various drones, 866 vehicles, 182 boats and 85 pieces of engineering equipment, in addition to 734 people from the Justice Ministry (319 Federal Police officers, 315 others from the Federal Highway Police, and 100 from the National Security Force), of whom 60 are firefighters.

Lira and Pacheco said they would work to get the National Congress to draw up a package of actions to reduce bureaucracy and extend financial aid to the state. “We have a responsibility this week to discuss a course of action so that we can draw up a totally extraordinary measure,” said Lira while Pacheco promised to try to reduce bureaucracy as much as possible to help rebuild the state. He also recalled Congress' experience in legislating under extraordinary circumstances, citing the constitutional amendment passed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“There are no limitations, there are no legal restrictions from ordinary times. There is a need to take bureaucracy, obstacles and limitations off the shelf and off the table so that Rio Grande do Sul doesn't lack anything to rebuild. We did this during the pandemic with great courage in the National Congress with a proposed amendment to the constitution that we called the War PEC, with numerous exceptional legislative measures,” said Pacheco.

Meanwhile, Fachin said the court would create a “special and transitional” legal regime for Rio Grande do Sul. “We are here to express more than our solidarity, we are here together, the Judiciary is together with the other branches of the Republic and will be together especially in the perspective of adopting a special emergency and transitional legal regime for the environmental catastrophe in Rio Grande do Sul,” he stressed.

(Source: Agencia Brasil)