Abandonment and Empty Streets Characterize Crisis in Rio

07/06/2017 - 10h15

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LUIZA FRANCO

FROM RIO

"An abandoned neighborhood that has returned to life", said previously by the former mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes (PMDB).

"A hollow dream", said today by José Luis Dorana, 52, resident and owner of a recycling warehouse in the same area, Rio's port zone, which was re-urbanized in the packaging of the Olympic public-works projects.

In a short period, Rio has gone from being the city of transformation to the headquarters of abandonment. The crisis that is plaguing the State, the municipality and the economy in general has affected public services and the level of upkeep and preservation throughout the city.

The political scenario is even more serious than the crisis. The State has a former governor in prison while the current one, Luiz Fernando Pezão (PMDB Party), is trying to avoid being deposed while imposing unpopular cuts in services.

In the streets, the situation is evidenced by empty corporate buildings, closed stores, stopped up drains and poorly kept and preserved public property.

At the port, the situation worsened this week, when the owner of the concession responsible for operations and taking care of the region declared that it could no longer provide services due to a lack of funding transfers from City Hall.

Cultural heritage is also at risk. At the same time that UNESCO has declared the Cais do Valongo, a symbol of the African presence in the port zone, to be a World Cultural Heritage Site, the archaeological material which is the object of the works of revitalization is threatened.

According to IPHAN (National Cultural Heritage Institute), the cultural heritage is being inadequately maintained, and it places the blame on City Hall.

In the historical center, half of the stores on Carioca Street are closed. One of these is the Guitarra de Prata (Silver Guitar), founded in 1887 and frequented by Pixinguinha and Noel Rosa.

Translated by LLOYD HARDER

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