The subdelegate of the Government in Ourense, Eladio Santos, made an institutional visit this morning to the City of Parada de Sil, to meet with its mayor, Aquilino Domínguez, and the mayor of Culture and president of the GDR Ribeira Sacra, Paco Magide, the current situation of the municipality, as well as the relevant projects carried out with state funds, such as the arrival of broadband and improvements in energy efficiency.
Regarding the implementation of the UN-Broadband Program, which the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Enterprise launched in 2020 to bring broadband to all parts of Spain, the subdelegate verified the great results of the program during his visit. “An example is the small rural center of Caxide, in Parada de Sil, where they have total broadband availability and high Internet speed, bringing the most avant-garde telecommunications to the smallest rural centers, allowing to attract and fix population, residents in the urban world who can live here and develop their work activity without problem,” said Santos.
Likewise, the subdelegate addressed with the councilor various improvements made with state contributions, which represent a significant saving to the municipal coffers, such as the change of public lighting for LED luminaires, thanks to 200,000 euros received through the IDAE; and the installation of photovoltaic solar panels in the House of the City Council, with a grant of 40,000 euros. In this sense, they dealt with the actions included in the Tourist Sustainability Plan in Destination, of the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, which finances 50% of the investment. They also recalled the contribution of the State Pact against Gender Violence, which allocated 1,613 euros to Parada de Sil, for initiatives related to this important problem.
Eladio Santos stressed during his visit that this town hall is “an example of tourism and rural dynamization, as it encouraged institutional collaboration with other municipalities and provincial institutions to create the Ribeira Sacra Tourism Consortium that promotes the entire region”. And precisely in terms of the value of its resources, he also recalled that the provisional resolution of the call for grants for the financing of innovative projects promoted by local entities for territorial transformation, of the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, has just been published, and which includes the project of value of the Monastery of Santa Cristina de Ribas de Sil, with an amount of 115,000 euros.
Livestock and wine sector
In addition, Eladio Santos highlighted the “great potential” in the livestock and wine sector of Parada de Sil, which belongs to the DO Ribeira Sacra, “two fundamental sources of wealth, linked to its natural heritage, the Natura Network of Protected Space, and the cultural and artistic”, he listed.
In this regard, the mayor, Aquilino Domínguez, conveyed his concern for the farmers whose farms are being affected by the effects of the Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHE), “since they still do not receive the money of the Xunta for pharmaceutical or disinfection expenses, despite the fact that the Ministry of Agriculture a month ago transferred 2.8 million euros to the Ministry of Rural Environment for this purpose. There is a total paralysis,” he said.
In addition, the municipal representatives are also concerned about the wine sector, in the absence of solutions from the Xunta de Galicia to the overproduction of red wine. “It is resulting in many vineyards being left unharvested and many winegrowers are seeing how they are not able to sell their product to any winery. This is a very serious structural problem, in which the wine sector of the Ribeira Sacra is affected and no contingency measures or aid are being made available, nor is the problem analyzed for the coming years to find a solution,” concluded the deputy delegate.