For 48 hours and counting, the ejidatarios of Santa Rita Tlahuapan have maintained a blockade on the Mexico-Puebla highway , one of the country’s main communication routes, this conflict, which has its roots in a land dispute dating back to 1958 , escalated to become a national problem , affecting thousands of people and causing million-dollar economic losses, according to the president of the National Chamber of Cargo Transportation (Canacar) , Miguel Ángel Martínez Millán, this already reaches 10 billion of pesos.
The protest, started on August 6, 2024 by a group of 300 residents, paralyzed the Mexico-Puebla highway, the Arco Norte and the Tlaxco-Tejocotal highway. The consequences of this action have been devastating for cargo transportation and hundreds of citizens, including minors and older adults, are stranded without being able to leave or enter Puebla, facing a shortage of essential products and general chaos.
Faced with this situation, Miguel Ángel Martínez Millán demanded an immediate solution.
“Practically all access to the southern part of the country has been obstructed and, consequently, to what has connectivity with the rest of the north, northeast, shoal and center. This situation has fractured the supply chain, affecting the transportation of merchandise such as automotive parts, consumer goods and perishable products, as well as the mobility of citizens,” declared Martínez Millán.
The economic impact is significant, according to Martínez Millán, the economic losses mainly affect the cargo transportation industry, in addition to the impact on the supply chain and perishable products that have deteriorated due to the blockade, from which the 10 thousand million pesos.
A long-term conflict
The root of the conflict dates back to 1958 , when the Federal Government expropriated 36 hectares of land from the Santa Rita Ejido to build the Mexico-Puebla highway. Although a payment of 176 million pesos was made in 2018 to compensate the ejidatarios , the money was allegedly diverted, benefiting only a few.
In addition to the above, the ejidatarios also demand payment of their compensation for the construction of the North Arch, a situation that dates back 14 years.
In this regard, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador defended the government’s position, stating that the peasants’ request was met and that a fair payment was offered based on official appraisals.
“There are dialogue tables, but we cannot be hostages to those who seek to profit ,” declared López Obrador. He appealed to the farmers not to allow themselves to be manipulated by lawyers.
In response, Martínez Millán explained that as a chamber they are “very respectful” of how the government acts.
“Our voice today and always is asking that they allow us free movement. Let them free up the points to carry out our activity and the products reach the shelves in a timely manner,” said the president of Canacar.
Miguel Ángel Martínez also commented that this is not the first time this has happened:
“Canacar has been around for many years, it is not the most critical either, but it is impacting us in a very important way and our greatest concern is that it be resolved as soon as possible. At this moment we don’t even know what time they are going to allow us to circulate and with every minute the problem worsens, there are already 100 thousand pieces of equipment affected, just for the Canacar part” he explained.
For representatives of cargo transportation, the situation is critical, with approximately 10 thousand tons of perishable products at risk of being lost.
Although alternative routes have been proposed, these are not viable due to ongoing works, higher costs and tolls.
“The only one they left us free is Mexico-Cuernavaca, but it does not support the volume of flow that we need,” explained the president of Canacar.
The farmers announced that they will carry out partial openings of two hours, however, it is not a solution for Canacar. The crisis on the Mexico-Puebla highway is not only a reflection of an unresolved land conflict, but also of the fragility of the country’s infrastructure and supply chain. With every minute that passes, the problem worsens, and thousands of people and tons of essential products remain trapped at a crossroads with no apparent way out.
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