Landowners Block Road in Nuevo Israel: Demanding Compensation

For a second consecutive day, landowners in Nuevo Israel, Quintana Roo, have continued to block the short route to Mérida. This protest is in response to the ongoing neglect from federal authorities regarding compensation for their lands.

Last Wednesday, the road was blocked from 8 am to 3 pm, with no authorities stepping in to initiate a constructive dialogue or reach a mutually satisfactory agreement. This blockade is the latest in a series of protests that trace back to the 1970s.

During the 1970s, the then Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (SCT) expropriated 47 hectares from Nuevo Israel for the construction of a federal road. However, the promised compensation was never fulfilled. This neglect has led to some communal landowners passing away without receiving the benefits they were entitled to.

In July of the previous year, following the payment of expropriation to ejidos (communal lands) located in the path of the Maya Train, the ejido assembly agreed to block the road as a pressure tactic if they were not compensated for the road. The assembly gave time to the current Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) to arrange resources for compensation, leading to a lawsuit being filed with the District Court.

The landowners have stated that the lack of response from the authorities has driven them to protest. Their primary objective is to demand the fulfillment of the agreement signed on November 6 of the previous year, which aimed to finalize the payment of the expropriation.

As the situation stands, the landowners of Nuevo Israel are holding firm on their stance. They are waiting for the relevant authorities to address their demands and resolve this longstanding dispute in a fair and equitable manner.