“We cannot continuously talk about fighting against the issues of the interior and then ignore the realities. We do not want a country with territorial injustice. We want a country where all regions can implement their development strategies,” stated Miguel Pinto Luz during a visit to Oleiros, in the district of Castelo Branco.
The official was responding to a request made moments earlier by the Mayor of Oleiros, Miguel Marques, regarding the urgent need for a new road connection to Castelo Branco.
“I am a firsthand witness to Oleiros’ isolation due to lack of investment in critical infrastructure for its development. And it’s not just Oleiros. There is an overlooked inland Portugal that continually suffers from isolation and demographic aging. These two dimensions can only be combated with more infrastructure,” he emphasized.
However, the official highlighted that education, public health, investment, and economic growth must coexist, or else these infrastructures “will only serve to accelerate desertification and demographic decline instead of attracting more population.”
“We cannot have a compartmentalized view of infrastructures without developing all other plans beyond the infrastructures,” he summarized.
Miguel Pinto Luz also made it clear that he cannot make empty promises across the country.
“We know the path we must take. What I tell all the mayors and officials is that without projects, we cannot move forward. We might dream about roads and infrastructure, but without projects, we cannot proceed,” he stressed.
The minister noted that Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) first needs to design projects.
“IP must develop execution projects, and with these ready, we set priorities to find funding for the works. Without execution projects, we can all dream constantly and allocate fictitious amounts in the State Budget,” he asserted.
The official then stated that he has already instructed IP to “launch, as soon as possible,” the tender for the execution project of that road infrastructure.
“With the project in hand, we can assess the cost and then find a funding source for the execution, for the urgency you highlighted, which is absolutely critical and of which I am aware,” he stated.
The minister emphasized that in such a small country, “it would be, at the very least, foolish for a government official not to take full advantage of the entire country to generate wealth.”
“It would even be a mismanagement of the territory not to capitalize on half the country,” he added.
The Mayor of Oleiros also spoke of the urgency and structural need for his municipality to have a road connection that does not hinder the lives of Oleiros’ entrepreneurs and residents and all those who wish to live there.
Miguel Marques believes that the “ideal” would be the construction of a new road between Oleiros and Castelo Branco.
However, the mayor expressed a “realistic” stance and requested “urgency” for at least the requalification of a 27-kilometer stretch in the connection between Oleiros and Castelo Branco, whose total distance is 60 kilometers.
