Venezuela’s Maduro Begins “Street Government”, Announces 70 Measures for Zulia

Merida, May 1^st 2013 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – On Monday President Nicolas Maduro explained the outcomes of the government’s first “Street Government” carried out in Zulia state, including the recovery of Maracaibo Lake, expanding a wind farm, and a new newspaper.

When Maduro swore-in as president he announced that he would commence his presidential term with a tour of the whole country, listening to proposals from grassroots organisations.

In Zulia Maduro said the government team worked out 70 points to be developed in the state, over the five days they were there. He said that when he went to visit Cuba, the governmental team stayed “deployed” there. Ministers also conducted inspections of public works and met with their sectors of the population, with the minister for agriculture for example, holding a meeting with farmers.

“We’re going to sign this document of commitments for Zulia, the commitments are signed minister by minister,” Maduro said.

Among the projects developed that Maduro announced was an “integral plan for the recovery of Maracaibo Lake” which “was destroyed by a hundred years of petroleum exploitation”.

For the plains of Maracaibo, Maduro said they would create a “special socialist economic zone” with a plan for producing food and “investments for the development of Zulia”.

He also approved resources for the second stage of the wind farm in La Guajira, so that its energy production capacity can increase to 75 megawatts.  Further, he said the government aimed to plant 2.5 million trees in the state, “alleviate the intense heat…and clean the air”.

Minister for the Environment Dante Rivas will put a plan in place to clear the drains, improve rubbish collection, and build a new rubbish dump.

“When you arrive in the barrios it looks like there’s been a war…it’s not right, our people have to live in dignity,” he said, announcing another point in the development of Zulia; improving its roads, as well as relaunching the “Barrio tricolor” plan, to refurbish urban and residential areas. Further, the government committed to building 46 sports courts. The government approved over Bs 500 million for the road works.

In order to “contribute to freedom of expression”, a newspaper, the Correo del Lago (Lake Post) will be founded as a “newspaper of the invisible people”.

Yesterday the minister for communication, Ernesto Villegas criticised Venezuela’s corporate media for “concealing” the government’s work in Zulia.

He said the “agenda of the opposition” dominated the newspapers, and only Panorama covered the “Street Government” announcements.