Soltalk August 2018 | Page 11

No good news for Vélez trams A decision by the regional government has dashed hopes of Vélez-Málaga’s mothballed tram service attracting a larger subsidy when and if it ever is restarted. The municipality asked to be put an equal footing with Jaén where the tranvía operation receives a 75 per cent subsidy, compared with the 40 per cent offered to Vélez. The town hall had applied for the system to be classified as being of “metropolitan interest,” but the Junta de Andalucía announced last month that it did not qualify. Public Works minister Felipe Lopez said the Vélez tranvía, in which the Junta invested €30 million, is municipal in character and cannot be considered to be metropolitan or intercity. Negotiations therefore continue between Vélez Town Hall, the concession holder Alsa and the regional government on whether or not it will be possible to get the trams running At the centre of the operation was a Catalan company suspected of fraud in the supply of traffic management systems invoiced at inflated prices and investigators wanted to examine documents from the period 2010-11. The probe began in 2016 and charges of forgery, bribery, and membership of criminal gangs are expected to be brought. Around 40 detentions are reported to have been made nationally including mayors, councillors and police chiefs. In Vélez, the local police chief, José Andrés Montoya, was detained at home before 8.00am and taken for questioning. Reports say he maintained his right not to answer Local police from Vélez-Málaga have removed a two metre long snake from a garden in Benajarafe. Residents in the area of calle Manuel de Falla say they have complained for some time about the presence of rats in the area. They claim empty and unattended plots of land are ideal nesting areas for both reptiles and rodents. Record mangos Tranvia at Vélez-Málaga between Vélez and Torre del Mar. Not least is a decision on who will pay the estimated €1.5 million which will be needed for repairs and refurbishment after the system lay unmaintained since it closed in 2012. The mayor of Vélez-Málaga, says he is continuing to work towards the relaunch of the tranvía, describing it as, “an essential element” in the municipality. Antonio Moreno Ferrer added that several lines of negotiation remain open. Vélez-Málaga caught in nationwide fraud probe The offices of the municipal police in Vélez-Málaga were raided by National Police early one morning at the beginning of July. The action by the Economic and Fiscal Crime unit was one of similar surprise visits in over 20 municipalities across Spain. Snake captured questions put to him by investigators. The mayor of Vélez, Antonio Moreno Ferrer, said later that no political office had been investigated and that by mid- morning everything was “back to normal.” He stressed that there was no other person under investigation and that the Vélez local government had no links to any contract or service supplied by the Catalan firm being probed. Police attacked A 42-year-old man has been handed a prison sentence of seven and a half years by a Málaga court for assaulting two police officers. He was found guilty of the attack in June 2016 in which one local officer was struck with a bottle while the defendant tried throw the other off a bridge. The Provincial Court heard the man suffered from chronic psychiatric disorders, for which he was undergoing treatment at the time, which affected his faculties but without annulling them. 9 It’s looking like a record year for mango production in the Axarquía. The co-operative Trops, which distributes 60% of Spanish production of the fruit, says it will handle around 13 million of the 20 million kilos expected to be harvested. The climates of Málaga and the Costa Tropical of Granada make them the main regions of continental Europe where mangos can be grown on a commercially successful basis. Work starts Rail travel from Málaga to Sevilla will be reduced to just 90 minutes when a new high-speed line is built. The process of expropriating land to enable construction of a new by-pass began last month, allowing a direct link between the two cities. At present, passengers at obliged to change at Córdoba. More parking Caleta de Vélez is to get 100 new parking spaces on market day. The deputy mayor’s office announced last month that agreement had been reached to use an empty site in calle Ensenada, opposite the cemetery. The parking area will be open on Saturday to meet the demand by shoppers at the town’s weekly market. Beach alert An investigation opened in Rincón de la Victoria last month after a 4x4 vehicle was driven back and forwards along a busy beach one evening last month. Mayor Francisco Salado it appeared that a family of tourists had driven onto the beach in error and there were no injuries. However, he added, “There is no excuse, especially with the terrorist alert which is presently active.”