Figueroa: “Having a surplus gives us the opportunity to carry out works”

Statement from the Government of the Province of Neuquén

This is an automated translation of the press release issued in Spanish

Governor Rolando Figueroa participated today in the anniversary of Cutral Co and in his speech he assured that this year “there will be a surplus” that will be used for works. In this sense, he arranged the investment of 10 million dollars to carry out the work of the sewage treatment plant for Cutral Co and Plaza Huincul; and signed an agreement for the province to develop the expansion of the clean energy project.

The provincial leader explained that having a surplus gives us the opportunity to carry out works. “When we took office in Neuquén , there was no such surplus. This year we are closing the balance with a surplus but we have a large deficit that is much more important than any surplus: we have a large infrastructure deficit throughout the province, years and years with a lack of investment in the truly important works for the citizens of Neuquén,” he lamented, and explained “we are missing 50 new classrooms per year for the people who are arriving, we are missing more than 30 schools in the Province, we are missing hospitals, we are missing police stations, we are missing more than 600 kilometers of roads.”

“Every project we do, we have to reduce the gap, the distance that exists between what we deserve and what we have,” he said, and announced that “this year we will end up with a surplus, and the budget we are raising in the legislature next year will also have a surplus, we will double it, we will have a surplus of close to 800 million dollars.” In this same sense, he pointed out that “it is very important to do projects quickly, not only with the surplus, but to obtain the funds to accelerate and for the economy to grow.”

Regarding another project for the region, the governor said that “we have signed an agreement to resolve the issue of water and its treatment. The province and the two municipalities are going to work together to be able to have a sewage treatment plant.” This is a new sewage treatment plant that requires an investment of 10 million dollars and would allow the treatment of the liquids of both localities with a projection of 20 years.

Accompanied by part of his cabinet and Mayor Ramón Rioseco, Figueroa praised the work carried out and pointed out that all the growth the city has had is due to “the fact that there is a Mayor who is committed and orderly when it comes to managing fiscal numbers. “Cutral Co has had a surplus for many years,” he said.

For his part, the mayor, Ramón Rioseco, mentioned that "we are a young city, a thriving city, a city that built its history based on work, on protest, on education, on the effort of each of the inhabitants of Cutral Co."

Finally, he said that in the coming weeks "we will be inaugurating, together with the provincial government and the UTN authorities, a technical school for 1,500 students."

During the celebrations, two loans were also awarded for productive ventures and contributions were made for the development of social public policies related to children, gender violence and the human rights of the elderly.