The popular political group in Collado Villalba has labeled the actions of the Government Delegate in Madrid, Francisco Martín Aguirre, as an “absolute lack of institutional respect.” The criticism stems from Martín Aguirre's visit to the renovation works on the bridge over kilometer 38.6 of the A-6, held this Thursday.
According to the PP, the municipal government was notified “less than 24 hours in advance,” which, in their view, “deliberately prevented the attendance of our mayor, Mariola Vargas, and the Government team.” This situation has been interpreted as a strategy to exclude the local administration from an institutional event.
This is not a simple scheduling problem. This is a way of acting typical of Pedro Sánchez's Government: opaque, disloyal, and based on political calculation. Giving such short notice is not a mistake; it is a strategy to sideline those who govern Collado Villalba and turn an institutional visit into a propaganda act.
The Popular Party has also recalled that they have “repeatedly requested meetings to address the infrastructure needs of Collado Villalba without receiving a response.” In contrast, they point out that the central Government does visit the town to “take pictures, without meeting with us or addressing the real problems of the residents.”
The main demand of the municipality to the Ministry of Transport, which Mayor Mariola Vargas has reiterated, is the repair of the Station Bridge. This state-owned infrastructure has been deteriorating for years and is the subject of a legal dispute over its maintenance.
“"Since you are here, we reiterate the requests we make to you by air, sea, and land, and that is, please, tell Óscar Puente, your boss, to fix the Station Bridge. The one they are building, yes, it will look great, we are very happy, but the one we really need and are concerned about for safety reasons for residents and all those who use the Cercanías service, is the other one. So Óscar Puente, fix the bridge."
For his part, Francisco Martín “regretted” the attitude of the local Government during his visit, assuring that the repair of the Station Bridge is a judicialized matter and that a judge will determine responsibility for its maintenance. He urged the Collado Villalba City Council to take care of the bridge's surface maintenance, which falls under its jurisdiction.
