The Metropolitan Council of Lima has approved the prohibition of public gatherings that endanger public safety and health by declaring an area of 10.3 square kilometers of the historic center of the capital «intangible».
«We are prohibiting all kinds of marches, whatever they may be. The Historic Center has to be preserved,» stressed Councilwoman Roxana Rocha, in statements to ‘Perú21’. «They have destroyed more than 2 million soles of urban furniture and cultural heritage of humanity,» she has reproached.
The municipal agreement highlights the importance of the Historic Center, listed as Cultural Heritage of the Nation and recognized as Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO for its historical and architectural richness.
The mayor, Rafael López Aliaga, has emphasized that this agreement is a «transcendental step» to turn the center of Lima into a pole of tourist attraction at world-wide level. To this end, he called for close coordination with the Police and the Ministry of Culture.
The Municipal Attorney’s Office will promote the corresponding legal actions in those cases that contravene the provisions contained in the agreement, as well as in which damages to public property and infrastructure and urban furniture are evidenced, in order to guarantee the defense of the interests and rights of the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima.
The demonstrations developed within the framework of the wave of protests against the interim president, Dina Boluarte, have resulted in serious damages to the historic center of Lima, with 5,000 square meters of green areas trampled, 20 trees destroyed, 60 trash garbage cans destroyed, more than 75 ornamental poles damaged, as well as 800 meters of sardinels and berms damaged. In addition to the fire in the Marcionelli building, which was completely destroyed.
In the so-called Toma de Lima, the demonstrators used bars to remove the cobblestones from the sidewalks of Abancay Avenue to attack the police. For this reason, the City Council has removed 518 square meters of cobblestones so that they are not used as weapons.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
